Sean Strickland reveals brutal injury before UFC 328 title win

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Sean Strickland has opened up about the extent of the injury he was carrying just days before his stunning world title win on Saturday.

Even with a strong resume, which includes a stint as champion and victories over most of the top 10, few expected Strickland to be the one to hand Khamzat Chimaev his first defeat. But that’s exactly what happened at UFC 328, with Strickland winning a split decision that many had him taking 3-2.

Strickland later shared that he picked up a serious shoulder injury during fight week, stemming from a sparring session with PFL’s Johnny Eblen. Joe Rogan noticed something was off even before the fight and mentioned on his podcast afterwards that Strickland looked “compromised”.

Sean Strickland opens up about injury suffered before UFC 328

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Despite dealing with a serious shoulder issue, Sean Strickland didn’t just make it to the fight — he pulled off one of the most impressive wins the division has seen in recent years. After getting medical advice, he went on social media to explain exactly what he was dealing with.

Posting on X, Strickland detailed the injury as a mix of three different problems: “Type 2 AC separation. Extended Type V SLAP tear. Partial rotator cuff tearing/tendinosis.” He followed up with a bit of humour, saying he’s “Gonna have to walk this one off…”

Joe Rogan spoke about the injury on his podcast this week, telling Brendan Schaub that he could see something was up from his cageside commentary position. “Sean had one arm,” Rogan said, adding that he noticed a strange movement in Strickland’s arm at the start of the fight.

“I was like ‘oh that’s what I do with my shoulder when I’m hurt’, because you want to see how hurt it is,” the commentator and former fighter explained. “How does it feel? Feel the range. He was only going to here [gesturing to around halfway up the average range of movement].”