Sean Strickland maintains an unorthodox diet of pizza and cheeseburgers while preparing for middleweight title defenses. The current UFC middleweight champion, who defeated Khamzat Chimaev via decision in 328, has sparked curiosity regarding his lifestyle.

Strickland has built one of the most recognizable careers after defeating top middleweight contenders. But his diet does not look like clean eating or macro counting.

A clip of Strickland surfaced after UFC 302, where he was seen biting on a pizza, which went viral on social media. The interview after UFC 302 went viral, but it was hardly out of character. When he moved up from welterweight to middleweight, he reportedly celebrated with a cheeseburger for breakfast.

Strickland has never been an advocate of eating healthy. He once told a journalist that the only reason men ate healthy food was to stay fit and attract women.

Burgers and Bicep Curls Inside Sean Strickland's Unorthodox Fitness Routine

Strickland abandons this junk food routine once fight week begins. Making weight is one of the toughest things for combat sports athletes. Before his rematch against Dricus Du Plessis in February 2025, he shifted to a high-protein diet and hit 185 pounds by preserving muscle mass.

For a fighter, even if the diet is not on point, gym work needs to be comprehensive. His arm regimen includes hammer curls, bicep curls, overhead presses, tricep pushdowns, and push-ups.

On leg days, he covers deadlifts, weighted squats, leg press, and machine extensions. And, back days include dips, pull-ups, dumbbell rows, and dumbbell shrugs. For the chest, he runs three sets each of bench press, dumbbell fly, dumbbell press, and cable crossover.

Cardio revolves around running and boxing, with sparring, which is open to spectators at public training sessions, serving as the foundation of his fight training.

His training sessions are famous for their intensity; a fan once got knocked out while sparring with him in Sydney at one such session.

All the way back in 2022, Strickland said there was more than just the sets and reps. He talked about the philosophy of fighting, movement, how things that move tend to keep moving, and how stiff fighters get beaten.

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Written by

Proma Chatterjee

Edited by

Ashvinkumar Patil