Sean Strickland praises Donte Johnson after hard sparring session before UFC 330 fight
Rising star Donte Johnson partook in a few thunderous sparring exchanges with UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland heading into UFC 330.
Donte Johnson and Sean Strickland appeared to partake in a grueling sparring session ahead of the former's fight at UFC 330. Johnson earned praise from his veteran counterpart, particularly for his willingness to learn.
A rising middleweight star, Johnson has competed twice under the UFC promotional banner thus far.
Donte Johnson boasts an undefeated professional MMA record; Sean Strickland is expected to defend his UFC middleweight belt this year
Donte Johnson boasts a pro mixed martial arts record of eight victories and no defeats. Having made a name for himself on the UFC-affiliated Dana White's Contender Series (DWCS), he's racked up a pair of wins inside the Octagon since his main roster promotional debut.
Johnson bested Sedriques Dumas via submission last year and, in his most recent fight, beat Cody Brundage by way of split decision earlier this year.
Meanwhile, Sean Strickland happens to be a two-time UFC middleweight champion and is the incumbent ruler of the division, having recaptured his title.
Strickland handed the formidable Khamzat Chimaev his first MMA defeat, by split decision, in May to win the belt. The American worked on rehabilitating a shoulder injury later on, and he now looks to have healed quite well and even sparred with his compatriot Johnson.
Donte Johnson spars with and elicits laudation from UFC champion Sean Strickland in an expression of mutual respect
Donte Johnson is scheduled to take on Eric McConico in a middleweight showdown, which is expected to transpire on the preliminary card portion of the UFC 330 event.
Johnson, a native of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, long trained at local gyms and was notably a member of the Gnosis Combat Sports gym as well. Nevertheless, he's been preparing for his imminent UFC 330 appearance at the Xtreme Couture gym in Las Vegas.
In episode No. 1 of the UFC 330 Embedded: Vlog Series on the UFC's official YouTube channel, Johnson alluded to his move. He seemed to express his gratitude for the gyms back home, whilst emphasizing that his training at Xtreme Couture would help him evolve.
The 27-year-old participated in what was a seemingly hard sparring session against reigning UFC middleweight kingpin Sean Strickland inside a training cage at the gym.
Hailing "Tarzan" for his toughness, Johnson stated, "Sean Strickland, he's a beast, man."
Similarly, Strickland, too, heaped praise on him. The 35-year-old said, "You're a fast learner. You're picking it up. There's some guys that don't change. Like, you are actively trying to learn."
"Lockjaw" pointed out that he was privileged to train alongside the likes of Strickland as well as other UFC-caliber fighters such as UFC welterweight Chris Curtis and UFC middleweight Anthony Hernandez.
In addition to affirming that it was his first camp at Xtreme Couture, Johnson highlighted that Strickland has been with him since he moved to the gym. He added, "It's a blessing. I have people of this caliber helping me out."
Check out the sparring exchanges between Donte Johnson and Sean Strickland, and their comments, below (*comments at the 2:38-minute mark of the video):
