Former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland has publicly shared his ongoing struggles with mental health, stating that he feels “like a danger to people” and experiences periods of instability multiple times a month despite his professional success.
Sean Strickland’s been open about his mental health. He’s been struggling, and he’s not keeping it a secret.
He took to Instagram recently. It was a Monday night, and he laid it all out there. He said he was “f****** spiraling” and “mentally unwell.” He’s got everything he ever wanted, but it’s not enough. He’s still struggling.
This isn’t a one-time thing. It happens “multiple times a month, every month.” He feels like he’s a danger to people. He’s got this mindset where he wants “to burn everything down in the world.”
You can read his full message below.
He said, “Man, all week I’ve been f***** up, dude. I’ve been on Twitter saying crazy s***, just f****** spiraling. I woke up and I told my girl, ‘Babe, I feel like a danger to people. I don’t feel like I should be out in the world.’ And I think that, you know, I have everything — I’m rich, I’m famous. Like, I have everything I’ve ever f****** wanted, and I still am mentally unwell. And I get in these mindsets, to where like, I want to burn everything down in the world. Like, I want to have nothing so I could just f****** lose it and just take out everything on people. And I think that, like, you guys in a weird way are like my family.
“I’ve shared some s*** with you guys and you guys have shared some s*** with me that like, I feel more connected with my fans than I think most people feel, just because we’ve gone through a lot together. And man, I have everything I want, dude, and I still struggle with mental health. And my memory is so short that like, when I’ve gone through this week, like once I get past it, I think to myself, ‘Oh man, that was a really rough time in my life.’ But then when I really think about it, this happens multiple times a month, every month.
“And again, I don’t even know why I’m telling you guys this. I’ve just been kind of going through some s***. I’m fine, I’ll be fine. I’m going to go train right now and try to hurt all my friends and all the demons will go away. I just want you guys know that I have everything I could ever want in the world and I still struggle, so whatever you guys are going through, man, I hope you all feel better. Go to the gym, train. F****** wish you all the best.”
Strickland’s 33. He lost his UFC middleweight title to Dricus du Plessis at UFC 297 in January. That ended a three-fight win streak. He’d beaten Nassourdine Imavov, Abus Magomedov, and Israel Adesanya. His upset win over Adesanya at UFC 293 catapulted him to fame.
Strickland’s not new to talking about his mental health. He’s been open about his traumatic childhood, his neo-Nazi past, and his struggle with homicidal thoughts. He’s been busy since losing his title, feuding with Machine Gun Kelly, fighting with fans and influencers, and calling for a rematch with du Plessis.
Recently, Robert Whittaker, another former UFC middleweight champion, called for a five-round bout with Strickland. He wants it to happen in Perth, Australia.