One of the biggest names of the middleweight ladder likely won't be setting foot in the octagon anytime soon.
Former 185-pound UFC champion Sean Strickland has received a six-month ban from the Nevada State Athletic Commission for a physical altercation with another fighter at an event in June.
The UFC will not book Strickland into a fight until he has served his suspension.
The suspension is retroactive to June 29 and will end on Dec. 29. However, if Strickland completes an anger management course, the suspension can be reduced to 4.5 months. He will also face a $5,000 fine and legal fees.
The incident occurred at a Tuff-N-Uff event — a regional amateur MMA promotion — on June 29, while Strickland was in teammate Miles Hunsinger's corner for a fight against Luis Hernandez.
After Hernandez won via submission, he taunted Hunsinger's corner and Strickland entered the cage to punch the fighter. Strickland was restrained by fight officials.
It's been a tough road for Strickland since losing his middleweight belt to Dricus du Plessis in January of 2024 at UFC 297 in Toronto. Though he beat Paulo Costa at UFC 302, he lost a rematch against du Plessis via unanimous decision at UFC 312 in Febriary 2025 and hasn't fought since.
He is currently the third-ranked contender on the middleweight ladder.
