Strickland turned pro as a teenager, building his early resume on the California regional scene before signing with the UFC in 2014. He spent his formative years at Dan Henderson’s Team Quest, a partnership Henderson has since said ended over Strickland’s online behavior toward teammates. Strickland disputes that. He told MMA Fighting in July 2025 he was Henderson’s main training partner for the legend’s final fight and simply left when the team dissolved. He’s been at Xtreme Couture ever since, where he now spars regularly with several former Team Quest partners.
Style-wise, Strickland is a pressure boxer in MMA gloves. He fights from a high Philly shell, walks opponents down behind a metronomic jab, and lands 5.98 significant strikes per minute at 44 percent accuracy. The defense is built on shoulder rolls and shell parries, not head movement, which makes him hittable but rarely hurt. His takedown defense is functional rather than elite, and his finishing rate is modest for a champion — 16 stoppages in 31 wins. What he offers is durability, five-round cardio, and a refusal to break under pressure or volume.
The defining run came in 2023. After a win over Nassourdine Imavov at light heavyweight and a second-round knockout of Abus Magomedov, Strickland drew Israel Adesanya at UFC 293 in Sydney as a heavy underdog. He won a unanimous decision and took the middleweight title. He lost it on a split decision to Dricus du Plessis at UFC 297, dropped the immediate rematch at UFC 312, then rebuilt with a split-decision win over Paulo Costa. A third-round TKO of Anthony Hernandez at UFC Fight Night in Houston in February 2026 earned him the shot at Chimaev. Per a UFC.com feature, the call came about two weeks after the Hernandez fight.
At UFC 328, Strickland won a split decision over Chimaev. Nicksick told The Ariel Helwani Show the plan was simple: own the geography, stay off the fence, and let the jab take over once the early wrestling exchanges slowed. The plan held for five rounds.
Strickland now sits atop a middleweight division he’s already lost and won twice. The question now is whether a Chimaev rematch follows, or whether du Plessis comes back for a trilogy. Either way, the loudest man in the room is holding the belt.