Sean Strickland returned to Xtreme Couture with UFC gold once again, celebrating his middleweight title triumph over Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 328 with his home team.
Strickland reclaimed the UFC middleweight championship by split decision against the previously undefeated Chimaev, marking his second time walking into the Las Vegas gym as a reigning champion after first capturing the belt as an underdog against Israel Adesanya at UFC 293.
Addressing his teammates, Strickland said, "I want to thank you guys – I'm pretty f*cked up, I'm gonna need a few weeks off," before adding, "I wouldn't be here without you guys, seriously. ... It's not just my belt, it's our belt."
Training partners and coaches echoed that team-first message. Brad Tavares told him, "Bro, that's just the culmination of hard work," while Edmen Shahbazyan added, "Hard work, dedication, consistency – he's a true leader." Kai Kamaka praised Strickland by saying, "I really appreciate your process, you as a person," and shared, "Truly an inspiration to my son. I was never champion yet, but he's seen a world champion twice. ... Last night he was playing UFC, beating up Brad with uncle Sean."
Head coach Eric Nicksick underlined the role of the entire room. "It takes a village, man," he said. "We're not here without you guys. I hope you understand that this is a very important ecosystem. Without the guys within this room, we don't have the ability to continue to grow and help you guys grow along with us. This is the testament to a team. Love every one of you guys. That belt, like Sean said, belongs to us."
Nicksick closed by turning the focus forward: "With that being said, this is not the endgame. No one gives a f*ck now. It's what's next. It's Monday, we start again fresh today. You guys got it?"
