Sean Strickland says he separated shoulder during UFC 328 fight week

NEWARK, N.J. – Sean Strickland didn't only battle the odds in his return to the cage, but apparently also his health.

Strickland (29-7 MMA, 18-7 UFC) reclaimed the middleweight title by handing Khamzat Chimaev his first pro loss in the UFC 328 main event Saturday at Prudential Center. Strickland defeated Chimaev (15-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) in a close split decision win, and he did so as a +400 underdog at most sportsbooks. On top of having the odds stacked against him, Strickland was also dealing with a significant injury, which he revealed at the post-fight press conference.

"You guys want to hear something funny?" Strickland told reporters. "So on Tuesday, I'm sparring Johnny (Eblen), that motherf*cker, the PFL champ. And I'm at Plino's gym, Cruz's gym, and he f*cking shoots on me, and I hit his brick-ass wall, and I separated my shoulder. So I had a Grade 1 AC joint separation on Tuesday."

It's not common for fighters to still be sparring in the week of their fight precisely to avoid injury close to the fight. Despite having this scare, Strickland assured he would continue to spar on fight week, even though he didn't feel very smart this week leading up to the fight.

"I remember lying in bed on Tuesday night – I'm sure Chris has a video of me slamming the fucking shoulder; dude, get some better pads – and I'm lying (in bed). I can't lie on my right, my left side," Strickland said. "I'm like, 'You're such a f*cking idiot. You are such a f*cking idiot.' So in the back, I'd normally like to get better warmups, but I didn't want to warm up and throw my shoulder out. The entire time, like, 'You're a fucking moron.'"

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Sean Strickland says he separated shoulder during UFC 328 fight week