Video: Strickland Breaks PowerSlapper’s Rib In Sparring Match

If you’re not an actual fighter and want to spar, Sean Strickland is the last person you should try your hand against. PowerSlap’s Coltin Cole recently found this out the hard way.

To Cole’s credit, he admitted to having some amateur fighting experience when asked by Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Middleweight champion, Strickland, on a recent episode of PowerSlap: Road to the Title. Unfortunately for Cole, Strickland didn’t go easy on the slapper, as he historically hasn’t in sparring … with anyone.

The video can be seen in the embedded player above.

The clash was just another day for Strickland, but for Cole, he noted shortly after the session that he started to notice a painful lump develop over his ribs. There’s no confirmation yet whether or not Cole’s rib was broken. He visibly struggled to move and was in pain sneezing, however.

As for Strickland, he’ll make his first career title defense against Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 297 this weekend (Sat., Jan. 20, 2024). If Du Plessis wins, he’ll become the first UFC champion to hail from South Africa, extending his current winning streak to nine (20-2).

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Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 297 fight card right here, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. ET (simulcast on ESPNEWS at 8 p.m. ET), before the pay-per-view (PPV) main card start time at 10 p.m. ET (also on ESPN+).

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