The Moment That Changed Everything
September 2023. The T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Israel Adesanya, the most feared striker in middleweight history, stood across from Sean Strickland. The odds were stacked. The predictions were unanimous. The result? A five-round masterclass in unorthodox dominance.
Strickland didn't just win that night—he rewrote the playbook. With a stance that looked more like a casual walk than a fighting position, he neutralized leg kicks that had destroyed others. He walked through combinations that had knocked out champions. He proved that in combat sports, effectiveness trumps aesthetics every single time.
Strickland vs. Adesanya — UFC 293, September 2023. Watch the unorthodox stance in action.
The internet had mocked his stance for years. Memes compared him to characters from children's shows. Critics called it ugly, awkward, fundamentally flawed. But on that September night, Sean Strickland became a UFC Middleweight Champion, and suddenly, everyone wanted to understand how.
Anatomy of an Unconventional Champion: What Makes Strickland's Stance Work
The Visual Puzzle
When Sean Strickland enters the octagon, he doesn't conform to traditional fighting stances. He doesn't crouch low like a boxer. He doesn't plant his feet like a Muay Thai fighter. Instead, he stands almost completely upright, hips facing forward, weight distributed evenly across both legs.
This isn't a mistake. It's a calculated deviation from conventional wisdom—and it works.
Strickland's revolutionary upright Philly shell (left) compared to Mayweather's traditional low base (right)
The Revolutionary Comparison
To truly grasp Strickland's innovation, contrast his approach with Alex Pereira's traditional style. Pereira fights from a low, planted base—feet dug into the canvas, weight on the back leg, generating power through ground connection. When Pereira throws a right hand, he sits down on it, channels his entire body weight, and delivers devastating force.
Strickland operates differently. His right hand comes from a "winging" motion—thrown while moving forward, maintaining that upright posture, never fully committing his weight. It's less powerful but more mobile, less predictable, and perfectly suited to his pressure-based game plan.
This fundamental difference explains everything: why Strickland can check leg kicks instantly, why he maintains defensive safety while advancing, and why his style confounds traditional strikers.
The Four Pillars of Strickland's Success
Strickland has transformed what should be a disadvantageous fighting style into a championship-winning system. Here's how he does it:
| # | Pillar | What It Means |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Defensive Mastery in the Danger Zone | Most elite fighters create safety through distance. Strickland flips this: he creates safety through positioning and angles while constantly staying in striking range—"fighting in the foam booth." The Philly shell plus subtle head movement and upright stance generates defensive angles that shouldn't work on paper but do in practice. Imavov, Magomedov, and Adesanya all struggled to land clean despite Strickland being right in front of them. |
| 2 | The Leg Kick Defense Revolution | Because he's upright with neutral weight, he can instantly raise either leg to check kicks without telegraphing or shifting weight first. Traditional fighters must transfer weight before checking—Strickland just lifts his leg. Proof: Pereira destroyed everyone's legs except Strickland's. Against Adesanya he checked virtually every low kick, neutralizing Izzy's primary weapon and forcing a pure boxing match where Strickland's fundamentals won. |
| 3 | Relentless Forward Pressure | He's known for volume, pressure, and psychological warfare—marching forward constantly with the money jab, right hands, hooks, and front kicks. This breaks opponents mentally: constant forward movement and defensive safety in range make precision strikers "melt." They can't establish rhythm or create angles; they're constantly reacting instead of acting. |
| 4 | The Unprecedented Combination | No one has successfully combined Philly shell defense with an upright, Muay Thai–like stance at the elite level. The mechanics seem wrong on paper—yet Strickland has made it work against some of the best strikers in the middleweight division. It's revolution, not evolution. |
Strengths & Weaknesses: The Complete Picture
| Why It Works | The Vulnerabilities |
|---|---|
| Defensive Excellence Creates safety through positioning and angles, not distance | Limited Striking Variety Heavy reliance on jab cost him close decisions against Cannonier and du Plessis |
| Leg Kick Mastery Upright stance enables instant leg checks without telegraphing | Takedown Exposure Upright stance makes him easier to take down (though he's primarily fought strikers) |
| Forward Pressure Systematically breaks movement-based strikers (Imavov, Magomedov, Adesanya) | Power Limitations Volume over knockout power; vulnerable to elite power punchers (Pereira proved this) |
| Jab Dominance Money punch that sets up everything, thrown from difficult-to-read angles | Judging Challenges Judges sometimes favor variety and power shots over consistent volume |
| Psychological Warfare Constant pressure breaks opponent's rhythm and confidence |
Championship Moments: Fight Analysis
| Opponent | Outcome | Analysis & Lessons |
|---|---|---|
| Israel Adesanya Title Win - Sept 2023 |
Victory |
Strategy: Checked virtually every low kick, forcing a pure boxing match. Constant pressure crowded Adesanya, preventing rhythm. Style Factor: Upright stance enabled advancing leg checks, a key mismatch for Izzy. |
| Imavov & Magomedov | Victory |
Pattern: Movement-based fighters "melted" against relentless forward pressure and defensive safety. Lesson: Evasive strikers struggle heavily when he stays safe inside their range. |
| du Plessis & Cannonier Close Decisions |
Defeat |
Problem: Judges favored variety and power shots over Strickland's consistent volume (heavy jab reliance). Lesson: In competitive decisions, striking diversity is necessary. |
| Alex Pereira KO Loss |
Defeat |
Reality: Pereira's knockout power connected clean. Lesson: The upright posture is a vulnerable target for elite power punchers. |
Strickland's Signature Combinations: The Arsenal Breakdown
To truly understand Strickland's style, study his combinations. These are the sequences that define his fighting approach:
Training Like Strickland: Building Your Own Unorthodox Style
Want to incorporate elements of Strickland's approach into your training? Here are the fundamental principles:
| Training Principle | Implementation Strategy |
|---|---|
| 1. Master the Jab | Throw hundreds of jabs per session. Practice from different angles—forward, backward, at angles. Use it to set up every combination. Make it your primary weapon. |
| 2. Develop Forward Pressure | Practice moving forward while maintaining defense. Shadowbox or hit the bag while constantly advancing—don't retreat. Learn to stay safe while being aggressive. |
| 3. Leg Kick Defense | Practice checking kicks from an upright position. Focus on quick leg raises without telegraphing. Integrate checking kicks while moving forward—this is what makes Strickland unique. |
| 4. Combo Repetition | Drill combinations thousands of times. Start simple (jab-jab-right), then add complexity. Consistency builds muscle memory. Repetition creates mastery. |
The Challenge: Most people don't have a coach calling out combinations 24/7. Shadowboxing alone gets boring. You need structure, variety, and guidance to stay motivated and build the muscle memory that makes elite fighters elite.
The Unorthodox Champion's Legacy
Sean Strickland proved something profound: style doesn't have to be pretty to be effective. The awkward stance, the upright Philly shell, the unconventional posture—it all works because Strickland mastered it through thousands of hours of repetition and understanding.
"The best fighting style isn't the one that looks the best. It's the one you master through consistent practice, repetition, and deep understanding of its principles."
Strickland's success comes from mastering fundamentals (the jab), developing unique strengths (leg kick defense, forward pressure), understanding his style's limitations, and committing to consistent, repetitive practice.
Want to develop your own unique style? It starts with fundamentals. It requires consistent practice. It demands structure and guidance. PunchCamp provides that structure—audio callouts, specialized camps, and progress tracking—so you can train like a pro from anywhere.
Train this style at home
PunchCamp has a camp built around this style—jab-heavy combos, forward-pressure rounds, and the same principles you just read. Guided audio callouts, no equipment.
.jpeg)
Upcoming Fight Analysis: What to Expect
Based on Strickland's past performances and stylistic tendencies, here's how upcoming matchups could unfold:
| Scenario | Expected Outcome |
|---|---|
| Strickland Wins If: | Neutralizes leg kicks, forward pressure breaks opponent's rhythm, jab controls distance, fight stays standing |
| Strickland Loses If: | Limited variety costs rounds, opponent has elite power, takedowns become factor, opponent handles pressure effectively |
| Prediction Pattern: | Strickland by decision vs movement-based strikers | Loses by decision vs diverse strikers with takedowns | Loses by KO vs elite power punchers |
What to Watch: Leg kick defense effectiveness, forward pressure impact, striking variety, takedown vulnerability, and how judges score his volume-based approach.
What do you think of Sean Strickland's unorthodox fighting style? Have you tried incorporating elements of it into your own training? Share your thoughts and experiences below!
