Sean Strickland sparring with a famous personality? That tends to happen when the former middleweight champ isn’t in camp. But as history shows, sparring with ‘Tarzan’, especially if you’re not a pro fighter in the UFC, dealing with blows on a daily basis, it rarely ends well. Other than that, the situation usually goes south quickly. And this time, a popular Korean streamer found that out the hard way.
There have been many instances where famous influencers ended up with a sore and bloody nose after picking a fight, often disguised as a sparring session. Remember popular YouTube commentator Sneako? He was trying to break into professional boxing, but Strickland broke his nose before Forest Griffin had to step in and stop him from taking more punishment.
He also recently sparred a YouTuber by the name of Nick Nayersina, and the result was the same. ‘Tarzan’ even said, “I didn’t reach out to this guy. I didn’t say, ‘Hey, influencer, come and spar me,’” suggesting that it’s usually the streamers or influencers who ask to get smothered—for the sake of views. And honestly, that might be very well true.
Adding to that list, South Korean streamer and actor Leslie Chow—also known as Mr. Chow and famous for his role in The Hangover trilogy—recently sparred with Strickland in a bare-knuckle session during a Kick livestream. The former 185 lbs kingpin seemed to enjoy tossing light punches and said, “Bare knuckle too! It’s such a different feeling, like when you actually touch a man’s skull with your knuckle.” He even captioned the post, “Let’s gooo China man… I’m Korean.”
That’s a very Stricklandesque way of captioning a post. However, it was also clear that he didn’t go all out on Mr. Chow. On the contrary, his sparring partner went for a cheeky double leg at one point and ended up eating some body shots. All things considered, it was a surprisingly enjoyable session where no one got seriously hurt. The video quickly made the rounds online as fans and stars reacted in every hilarious way possible.
Fans react to Sean Strickland sparring Mr. Chow on a livestream
Let’s start with Sean Strickland’s social media partner, Nina Marie Daniele, who reacted, “Korean Zombie gonna come out of retirement after seeing this clip.” Given Chan Sung Jung’s status as a top South Korean UFC star who took retirement in 2023 after facing Max Holloway, that’s quite the shoutout. Then Bare Knuckle star Mike Perry chimed in with a brief, “Lmao wth,” hinting even ‘Platinum’ might not mind throwing hands with Strickland.
That’s not the end, as Jim ‘Mayhem’ Miller also jumped in, commenting, “Sean burying streamers in the desert now,” pointing out that the former middleweight champ was sparring in the middle of a desert instead of a gym. After that, fans started calling him out. One user wrote, “Bro you just spar anyone.” And that’s true—but more often than not, it’s people approaching Strickland, and he never minds a little scrap.
Another user amusingly commented, “MR. Chow VS Strickland Hangover 4,” referencing Mr. Chow’s role in The Hangover series. Could this unlikely collaboration hint at Strickland appearing in a future sequel? Who knows—stranger things have happened. Then, one fan took a hilarious jab, commenting, “Strickland when it’s time to spar Pereira,” clearly referring to Alex Pereira and those cautious sparring sessions where ‘Tarzan’ didn’t exactly go all out, probably to avoid getting lit up.
Sean Strickland sparring with known figures feels like an ongoing series—one that never fails to deliver talking points. Some sessions turn out oddly wholesome, while others get a little rough, to say the least. That being said, who do you think should be the next famous face to step in with ‘Tarzan’? Drop your pick in the comment box.
The post “Mr Chow vs Strickland” – Sean Strickland Leaves MMA World Divided as Korean Streamer Pays Dearly on Live Stream appeared first on EssentiallySports.