UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley has expressed concern over former middleweight title holder Sean Strickland‘s admission of mental health issues, suggesting that Strickland may be taking too much physical punishment in the sport.
UFC bantamweight champ, Sean O’Malley, isn’t exactly shocked. He’s heard Sean Strickland, the former middleweight title holder, confess to battling mental health issues.
Strickland recently spilled his guts on social media. Despite having it all, he sometimes feels “mentally unwell” and a danger to others. O’Malley’s take? The ex-champ might be overdoing it in the ring, he suggested on his video podcast, TimboSugar Show.
O’Malley’s response was a simple “duh.” He believes anyone expressing a desire to harm others is probably not in the best mental state. “You either love or you hate,” he said. “And if you want to kill people for no reason… well, it’s pretty crazy he’s so honest about it.”
He also touched on the physical aspect. “Just going in there and sparring and getting hit in the head — not that he gets hit that much, but if you spar every day, it adds up.”
Strickland’s confession seems to have a purpose. He wants his fans to know they’re not alone. Still, it’s a shocking admission for an active UFC fighter and former champ with a huge fan base.
Strickland’s been stirring the pot on Twitter. “I woke up and I told my girl, ‘Babe, I feel like… I feel like a danger to people. I don’t feel like I should be out in the world, you know?’ I have everything — I’m rich, I’m famous, and I still am mentally unwell,” he confessed.
He also admitted to destructive thoughts. “I get in these mindsets where I want to burn everything down in the world. Like I want to have nothing, so I can just lose it and take out everything on people.”
Strickland feels a deep connection with his fans. “In a weird way, you guys are like my family. We’ve gone through a lot together. I have everything I want and I still struggle with mental health. My memory is so short that when I go out to this week, I think to myself, ‘Man, that was a really rough time in my life.’”
But this isn’t a one-time thing. “This happens multiple times a month, every month,” he admitted. “I don’t know why I’m telling you guys this, I’ve just been kind of going through some stuff. I’m fine, I’ll be fine.”