Alexander Volkanovski recently stated that Sean Strickland was shouting advice to Tony Ferguson’s corner during his bout against Paddy Pimblett at UFC 296.
‘The Baddy’ earned a unanimous decision win over ‘El Cucuy’, which extended the American’s losing skid to seven losses. CasualsCorner posted a clip on Instagram from Volkanovski’s YouTube channel, where he explained the scene between the reigning middleweight champion and the 39-year-old’s corner during the fight.
Alexander Volkanovski said:
“[Sean Strickland] was even screaming out to [David] Goggins, ‘Goggins, tell him to get up!’ Goggins looks back, acknowledges what Sean Strickland says and then like, literally screams out to Tony, ‘Tony, get up!’ Obviously, he’s motivational you know, David Goggins style ramping it up pretty much, ‘Get the f up.'”
The former interim lightweight champion showcased his resilience but was unable to turn things around as Pimblett went on to earn the win. By the sound of Volkanovski’s explanation, it seems like Strickland was obviously backing Ferguson.
When is Alexander Volkanovski fighting next?
Alexander Volkanovski is scheduled to return to the octagon at UFC 298 on February 17, where he will defend his featherweight championship against Ilia Topuria.
‘The Great’ will be competing for the first time since his knockout loss to reigning lightweight champion Islam Makhachev at UFC 294. He accepted the fight on short notice after Charles Oliveira was forced to withdraw from the event. It was his second loss to Makhachev as he attempted to become a two-division champion.
Meanwhile, Topuria has quickly ascended the featherweight rankings after impressive wins over the likes of Bryce Mitchell and Josh Emmett. He currently has an unbeaten 14-0 MMA record and has been a highly touted prospect who could become a massive star should he dethrone Alexander Volkanovski.