When Sean Strickland walked into UFC 293 as a +500 underdog against Israel Adesanya, nobody gave him a chance. The fighter with the weird stance was about to shock the world.
The Unorthodox Stance
Strickland stands almost completely upright, feet close together, lead hand dangling below his waist, rear hand loosely near his chin. It looks wrong to traditional boxing coaches. But it works.
The Four Pillars
1. The Upright Philly Shell — Modified Philly shell standing almost vertical. Advantages in MMA: check leg kicks without shifting weight, sprawl quickly, maintain eye contact.
2. The Jab Wall — More jabs per round than almost any UFC fighter. Measures distance, disrupts timing, sets up the right hand, wears opponents down psychologically.
3. Forward Pressure Without Recklessness — Walks forward methodically, never overcommitting. Footwork keeps him balanced and ready to defend.
4. Defensive Responsibility — Lead shoulder high, rear hand near chin, rolls with punches using shoulder. Shells up under combinations, takes minimal damage, returns fire immediately.
How He Beat Adesanya
- Constant forward pressure — Adesanya needs space to counter. Strickland never gave him that space.
- Jab volume — Endless jabs occupied Izzy’s vision and timing.
- Refused to engage in Izzy’s game — Made it a pressure fight with boxing.
The Chimaev Test: UFC 328
The split decision proved the style survives against elite wrestling with devastating power. Strickland’s jab kept Chimaev honest on the feet. His upright stance allowed quick sprawls.
Training the Strickland Style
- Jab, jab, jab — 3-4 jabs for every power shot
- Walk forward while jabbing — Take a step with every jab
- Keep lead shoulder high — Protects the chin even when not throwing
- Stay upright — Better vision and faster reactions
- Jab-jab-right — The money combination
The Strickland style wins fights and is one of the most trainable styles for shadowboxing because it is built on fundamentals.
DRILL THIS TECHNIQUE
Punch Camp calls out the combos — you follow along on the bag. Train the exact techniques from this breakdown.
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