Sean Strickland was sparring at Xtreme Couture within hours of an ATV rolling six times at roughly 60 mph on Monday, September 21, in Las Vegas. The middleweight champion (31-7) had let his friend take the wheel of the off-road vehicle, and neither man had a helmet.
“I let my buddy drive; he rolled us going, like, 60,” Strickland told followers on Instagram. “We rolled, like, six times. That was from my head smacking the ground while going 60; I did not have a helmet on. I’m an idiot.”
He climbed out with scrapes to his head and shoulders and followed up with a shorter update: “I think I’m OK.”
The champion also called the crash “the most fun thing I’ve done in a very long time”.
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Driver hospitalized, Strickland straight to sparring
The driver, UFC cinematographer Chris Cornell, briefly lost consciousness after the two climbed out of the vehicle and was transported to a hospital, Sherdog reported. Strickland said he expected Cornell to recover.
Strickland’s sponsor, the gambling brand Rainbet, agreed to cover the costs from the accident, per the same report. It was Strickland’s second vehicle scare inside a week, coming days after he came off a dirt bike.
Despite the impact, Strickland did not take a day off. He was back on the mats at Xtreme Couture the same day, posting footage from the session.
A first title defense still to be booked
Strickland has held the middleweight belt since defeating Khamzat Chimaev in May 2026 and has yet to book a first defense.
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Nassourdine Imavov has been open that his next bout is for the belt. “I know the date for my next fight, and it is for the title,” Imavov said during a Q&A ahead of UFC Paris in early September.
A rematch between Strickland and Imavov at UFC 335 on December 12 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas has been reported by multiple MMA outlets. The UFC has not officially announced the fight.
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