Sean Strickland admits to turning down Anthony Hernandez for UFC 325 in Sydney — ‘Get it booked in the States’

“Tarzan” isn’t going “Down Under.”

Former UFC Middleweight champion Sean Strickland is gearing up for a return after serving a six-month suspension for assaulting a regional fighter who defeated his teammate at a Tuff-N-Uff event this past June in Las Vegas (details here).

The UFC hoped to reintroduce him with a banger: a matchup against surging title contender Anthony “Fluffy” Hernandez at UFC 325 in Sydney, Australia. But Strickland isn’t making that trip.

“You guys, I did say no to the Australia card,” Strickland said on social media today. “Australia, I f—king love you guys. You’re all white trash and like-minded — I feel like we’re one in the same — but I don’t have medical insurance. So you want me to get my first fight back in Australia and give half my check to you f—kers and buy your insurance? I ain’t f—king doing it. Fluffy don’t wanna do it, I don’t wanna do it — we ain’t doing it.”

“Anyways, that being said, I love the Fluffy fight,” Strickland concluded. “Let’s get this shit booked in the States. I’m an American. I’m one of the few real Americans fighting in the UFC other than Bryce [Mitchell], so let’s get this booked in the States.”

A Strickland vs. Hernandez scrap makes perfect sense with where both sit in the rankings. Stylistically, it’s a fantastic matchup: Hernandez’s relentless wrestling and pressure versus Strickland’s criminally underrated takedown defense and volume boxing.

It also feels like the right time to bring Strickland back to U.S. soil. He’s competed only once in America over the last two years and never fought stateside as champion. A California card would be ideal, as both fighters were born and raised there.

Nevertheless, Strickland enters the next chapter of his career coming off a title-fight loss to Dricus du Plessis in their rematch and is 1-2 in his last three outings. Meanwhile, Hernandez is riding an eight-fight win streak and was on the doorstep of a title shot before an injury forced him out of a No. 1 contender fight with Reinier de Ridder in October.

If the UFC books it in the States … who wins?

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