What happens when two men who take sparring entirely seriously collide? Fireworks. That is exactly what happened when Sean Strickland and Michel Pereira stepped into the cage to spar.
The UFC is home to some of the greatest fighters in the world. To reach the top in combat sports, a hard work ethic needs to be implemented, and improvement must be the center of attention for athletes. While some prefer to go light in the gym and showcase their true ability on fight night, others consider it essential to showout in training.
But when two of those who like to spar hard lock horns, it can produce something wild. That was the case when Sean Strickland and Michel Pereira bit down on their mouthguards and traded leather earlier this week.
Both Strickland and Pereira are preparing for a fight at UFC Houston on February 21. Strickland will be headlining alongside Anthony Hernandez, with title implications potentially on the line for the victor. Pereira, hoping to bring an end to his poor run of form inside the octagon, will meet Zachary Reese in the prelims.
At different stages of their careers, Strickland and Pereira will consider their next outing a must-win, respectively. As one hopes to return to the UFC middleweight title picture and the other pushes to prevent himself from suffering his fourth straight defeat, the exchange in the gym was necessary.
The video that surfaced online of the two throwing heavy kicks, knees, and punches made for a fun watch. Tough rounds were put in between the two, and the exhaustion was clear to see once the sparring session came to an end, resulting in an embrace.
Watch former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland and fellow 185er Michel Pereira clash ahead of their anticipated return to action in the video below.
Sean Strickland and Michel Pereira going crazy during sparring 😭
(via @SStricklandMMA) pic.twitter.com/C8gD8MMflY
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) January 28, 2026
