1-in-4 kids experience abuse
Strickland cited a 1-in-4 statistic for childhood abuse exposure in America, calling himself a visible role model for children going through similar experiences.
Snapshot · The Shawn Ryan Show
#325 Sean Strickland - The Most Controversial Fighter in the UFC Opens Up Like Never Before
Explore episode
Jul 27, 2026
Where this was said
Purpose, Sobriety, and What Happens After Fighting
At 1:25:38 · chapter starts 1:24:00
Coming out of their darkest disclosures, both men find common ground in what has given them a reason to continue. Strickland describes wanting to do disaster relief, inner-city youth work, or anything that lets him give back anonymously when his fighting career ends. Not for the fans, not for legacy — because every anonymous good deed reignites something in him that years of violence and trauma extinguished, like an engine trying to turn over. He calls it the only feeling that's 'real.' Ryan connects this to faith, arguing this is how God works through people: the suffering was the preparation. Strickland also makes his most important practical argument: sobriety is the only safety net for people like them, because alcohol removes the inhibition wall and turns every destructive impulse into action.
Doing Good Deeds: The Only Feeling That Doesn't Feel Like a Drug
Strickland says that after fighting, he wants to do disaster relief, inner-city youth work, or anything where he can give back anonymously. Not for the fans, not for legacy — but because every anonymous good deed feels like the engine of his eroded soul trying to turn over again. It's the only feeling he has that isn't just another drug.
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