Updated
Updated · Yahoo Sports · Jul 28
Sean Strickland Recounts 1-in-6 Russian Roulette Ordeal in 4-Hour Interview
Updated
Updated · Yahoo Sports · Jul 28

Sean Strickland Recounts 1-in-6 Russian Roulette Ordeal in 4-Hour Interview

3 articles · Updated · Yahoo Sports · Jul 28

Summary

  • Four hours into a podcast with Shawn Ryan, UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland said he once put a loaded .38 revolver to his head before a girl named Jackie grabbed it away.
  • Strickland said he was fixated on Russian roulette, told her he would take the one-in-six odds, and only later realized he had been about to fire a live round into his head.
  • The 35-year-old fighter tied the episode to long-running mental health struggles and an addiction to adrenaline, saying he avoids even a .22 revolver because handling it triggers suicidal thoughts.
  • The interview also revisited his abusive childhood, troubled youth and prison ties, casting new light on the path that led him to become a two-time UFC champion.

Insights

Why did Strickland publicly mock another fighter's depression while hiding his own harrowing history with Russian roulette?
How does a fighter battling such dark suicidal impulses manage to capture the UFC championship twice?