Joe Rogan recently weighed in on the sparring session between Sean Strickland and Sneako, highlighting how Strickland approached it differently compared to his training with Alex Pereira last year.
The former UFC middleweight champion engaged in a sparring session with the controversial ‘Red Pill’ streamer at the UFC Performance Institute. While it’s customary for fighters to take it easy when sparring with non-professionals, Strickland seemed to disregard this norm and unleashed a barrage of heavy shots on Sneako.
Despite signals from bystanders to ease up, Strickland persisted with his aggressive onslaught, delivering forceful blows to Sneako’s head, visibly shaking the influencer. UFC legend Forrest Griffin eventually intervened to halt the session, noting the excessive intensity.
Interestingly, Strickland demonstrated a contrasting demeanor during his sparring sessions with ‘Poatan’ as he prepared for his bout against Israel Adesanya at UFC 293 last year. In those sessions, he displayed composure and opted for light sparring, maintaining a safe distance from Adesanya’s striking prowess.
On the Joe Rogan Experience podcast (JRE #2104) with Chris Williamson, Rogan commented on this disparity in Strickland’s approach, stating:
“He [Strickland] beat up that kid, who’s a smaller-than-him streamer named Sneako, which is not a good look. He beat the sh*t out of him. I just don’t know why he wanted to do that… When he was training with Alex Pereira, he was light sparring, ’cause he’s smart. That guy’s not Sneako, that guy already knocked you out. Pereira knocked him out in the first round.”