Sean Strickland NFL offensive lineman Hjalte Froholdt Dylan Fairchild
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Sean Strickland had his hands full with Hjalte Froholdt and Dylan Fairchild. The former UFC champion went head-to-head against two NFL offensive linemen during a high-stakes wrestling match for pride.
He claims he slipped!
Strickland, currently ranked No. 2 in the UFC middleweight division, is an American mixed martial artist. Although he is best known for his striking, especially from long range, the 34-year-old is one of the best takedown defenders in the promotion. His black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu allows him to stay on his feet to keep attacking forward even though he is not necessarily known for his grappling.
All of this goes to say that Sean Strickland can hang with anyone of any specialty.
However, both Froholdt and Fairchild gave him a much greater challenge than he expected. They recently took turns going one-on-one in the octagon and the Hog Mollies caught him off-guard.
Hjalte Froholdt is a former fourth-round pick out of Arkansas who currently plays for the Cardinals. At 6-foot-5, 310 pounds, he has four inches and more than 125 pounds on Strickland.
It showed! Froholdt absolutely dominated Strickland in a football-focused blocking drill.
The former played his normal role of an offensive lineman trying to protect the quarterback. The latter stepped into the role of a defensive lineman trying to sack to the quarterback. Strickland never stood a chance against Froholdt in this specific discipline— even though he jokingly claims he slipped.
And then it was time for Dylan Fairchild. The 6-foot-5, 318-pound rookie was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the third round as a former state champion wrestler in Georgia.
His wrestling background immediately showed up against Strickland when he started off with a Russian tie. The UFC champion was also very impressed by Fairchild’s nasty ankle pick. They went at it!
This, unlike the blocking drill, was a lot more comfortable for Sean Strickland so it was not the same kind of blowout against Dylan Fairchild like it was Hjalte Froholdt. That should not take away from the impressive effort. Cincinnati’s newest offensive lineman held his own against an MMA legend.
Grayson Weir BroBible editor avatar