“Yeah man, dark days indeed. Anyone wanna have an exhibition boxing match?” Soon after the Nevada State Athletic Commission hit Sean Strickland with an indefinite suspension, the Californian star expressed his desire to box. However, there is a little issue here. Strickland and Chris Curtis threw punches at Luis Hernandez at Tuff-N-Uff 145. The incident happened right after Hernandez defeated Miles Hunsinger and taunted Strickland, Hunsinger’s cornerman. ‘Tarzan’ is suspended indefinitely until the athletic commission decides on a punishment for him. But can he fight anywhere else during his suspension?
Former MMA athlete Josh Thomson and ex-UFC referee ‘Big’ John McCarthy weighed in on that during a recent episode of Weighing In podcast. Therein, the former referee stated, “Absolutely not able to fight outside of the UFC. He’s under contract. But he’s also not allowed to fight anywhere where there is a commission, because that suspension from the Nevada State Athletic Commission carries over to every regulatory body there is. So, even the ones you talk about going overseas, you have like, the UFC uses the British mixed martial arts council to regulate the show, like they just did in Abu Dhabi. They would not allow Strickland to fight anywhere over there if they were in charge of the fight. Sean’s not stupid enough to fight outside of his contract. That would be absolute s——-.”
That’s when ‘Punk’ cut McCarthy off and questioned if the suspension is applicable to any type of fighting. Were events like boxing and Karate Combat also out of reach for ‘Tarzan’ right now? The answer was yes. McCarthy confirmed that Strickland was barred from “any kind of combat sport.” But what about slap fighting? Can the former middleweight champion compete at PowerSlap? McCarthy explained, “Yes. That’s run by the regulation, by the commissions now. So, absolutely. He would not be able to compete in a slap fight. And he can’t do that with his contract with the UFC, anyway.”
After Sean Strickland teased a boxing debut, BKFC star Jake Bostwick sent a challenge in the former champion’s way. Bostwick won his last bout at BKFC 78 with a KO in just 53 seconds. No doubt, Bostwick vs. Strickland would have been an interesting bout. But after listening to McCarthy, it doesn’t seem like a possibility anymore.
December 16, 2022, Las Vegas, NV, LAS VEGAS, NV, United States: LAS VEGAS, NV – DECEMBER 16: Sean Strickland steps on the scale for the official weigh-ins at UFC Apex for UFC Fight Night – Vegas 66 – Cannonier vs Strickland – Weigh-ins on December 16, 2022 in Las Vegas, NV, United States. Las Vegas, NV United States – ZUMAp175 20221216_zsa_p175_054 Copyright: xLouisxGrassex
But what does Luis Hernandez think of the mess-up? Let’s see what the Tuff-N-Uff contender had to say about Strickland’s indefinite suspension, shall we?
The Tuff-N-Uff fighter has no hard feelings for Sean Strickland
During a conversation with MMA Fighting, following his run-in with Strickland, Hernandez claimed that he had no bad blood with ‘Tarzan’. He said, “I really have nothing towards them, and hope the commission does not… like they even asked me, ‘Hey, you’re gonna press charges?’ I’m like, ‘What? No.’ I would never want anything to happen to these guys because I actually like them, and I hope they watch this.” Hernandez confirmed, “I have nothing against Sean, nothing against Chris, nothing against Xtreme Couture. I like those guys.”
He continued, “I would say we’re all adults here, and I have nothing against them, and I will say this again: I hope the commission does not take this out on them at all because, at the end of the day, we’re all professionals and this is entertainment.” However, the same can’t be said for Strickland. Yes, he was pretty upset with the goof-up.
Taking to X, ‘Tarzan’ declared that he wasn’t even vocal in the corner, and having Hernandez taunt him for a highlight was a little too insulting. He continued to blame the athletic commission for not stopping the taunts. “There was no warning. No penalty. They tell merhab to shut up all the time.. Even the announcers were calling it,” Strickland wrote.
We still don’t know when the commission will hold the disciplinary hearing for Strickland. But until that happens, the Californian middleweight fighter would have to steer clear of every single combat sports event.
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