Sean Strickland and Sneako stepped into the octagon today for a little bit of sparring. Unfortunately, for the latter, it seems the former did not hold back much, which resulted in a very quick sparring session that finished with a bloody nose and probably some brain damage as well. The sparring happened after a second awkward encounter between the two during Super Bowl weekend in Vegas and both fighters decided against wearing protective headgear.ย
For those unfamiliar with Sean Strickland or Sneako, the former is a 32-year-old American mixed martial artist. He is currently a middleweight division fighter in the UFC and a former middleweight champion. He is widely considered one of the greatest fighters in the UFC right now, and became a household name after his historic upset against Israel Adesanya, a fighter many already consider one of the all time greats. This won him the UFC Middleweight Championship, which unfortunately for him, he loss in his following fight last month against Dricus du Plessis in a controversial split decision. Beyond the cage, he is viral for his trash talk and known for his sometimes controversial takes.ย
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On the other hand, Nicolas “Nico” Kenn De Balinthazy — better known as Sneako — is a 25-year-old internet personality who has no experience fighting. Previously, a popular YouTuber, he now streams on Rumble after being banned by the Google platform. Like Strickland, he is widely known for some of his more contentious takes.ย
As you can see in the video above, the sparring match was less sparring and more Strickland treating Sneako as a punching bag. As far as we know, Sneako did not sustain any serious injuries, but he was given a bloody nose for his troubles.ย
As you would expect, the sparring match has been going viral across social media platforms. Not only were viewers surprised to see Strickland seemingly attempt to take Sneako’s head off, but many were surprised the streamer with no experience fighting was not dropped by the cascade of hard punches.ย
UPDATE: Later in the stream, Strickland revealed he was trying to knock down Sneako, and gave him props for not falling down, saying it is “a testament,” presumably to Sneako’s toughness and chin.ย