Eric Nicksick: Sean Strickland sparred with road rash day after accident

UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland is a gym rat.

On Monday, Strickland got into a motor vehicle accident while sitting in the passenger seat of a UTV with no helmet on. The accident left Strickland with scratch marks all over his head, where he said the vehicle "rolled like six times."

However, that didn't deter Strickland (31-7 MMA, 18-7 UFC), who showed up to the gym the next day according to his head coach Eric Nicksick.

"He was at sparring yesterday," Nicksick told MMA Junkie Radio. "What am I going to do? Just send the guy home? He comes rolling in with a road rash all over him, and I'm like, 'So, how did that go last night?' And he was like, 'Yeah, it was pretty rough.' And I was like, 'What are you doing here?' And he goes, 'We've got to spar.' All right, put your sh*t on. Let's go. Dude's a monster, bro. We're a bunch of cowboys and outlaws in that gym."

This isn't the first time Strickland was involved in a motor vehicle accident. In 2018, Strickland had a serious motorcycle accident which hospitalized him and left him out of action for two years.

Strickland hasn't competed since dethroning Khamzat Chimaev in an upset title win at UFC 328 in May. He is expected to make his first title defense against Nassourdine Imavov.