Sean Strickland is one of the UFC’s most unpredictable personalities who does not shy away from sharing his opinions on any matter. Although Strickland often resorts to trolling, he avoided that while talking about an NFL star. Now, who could that person be? That praise is amplified by the fact that UFC head honcho Dana White also sees a championship path for him in the Octagon.

Back in July 2023, Strickland was preparing for his first UFC middleweight title fight against Israel Adesanya. And who knew amid the usual training sessions, ‘Tarzan’ would engage himself in something. As such, while sparring, Strickland bloodied NFL star Maxx Crosby, with fans fuming about it. However, years later, as a clip from their session surfaced, the UFC middleweight got honest about Crosby’s potential and how it went down.

Sean Strickland on Maxx Crosby after sparring sessions

“Max was sending it in the beginning…. But Max is a bad**s,” wrote Sean Strickland on X. “The guy is an NFL superstar, dude gloves up for fun and spars for the love of the game… Max is the hardest NFL player hands down! 👊”

Now, Max Crosby is known to frequently hone his skill sets in MMA. The thought process behind that is to enhance his athleticism and benefit from it during his regular football games.

“I box every single day after practice. During training camp, I’ve boxed every single day,” the Las Vegas Raiders defender said during an interview in 2023. “It’s an everyday part of my routine; hand speed, technique, understanding distance, all those things are super important. It’s a direct translation to pass rush and D-line play.”

As for Strickland, being a veteran, he has a lot of experience in the sport. And when someone hits him hard, ‘Tarzan’ can surely judge their potential. However, interestingly, the former UFC middleweight champion isn’t the only one who has weighed in on Crosby’s prowess in MMA.

The NFL star’s frequent training sessions and his constant showcasing of them on social media have seemingly garnered the attention of two of the pillars of MMA. To that end, they even envision a bright future for Crosby in MMA.

Crosby reveals conversations with Dana White

Historically, CEO Dana White hasn’t looked away from the thought of transitioning an NFL star into a UFC fighter. Former heavyweight Greg Hardy is one of the prime examples of it. Although the signing didn’t click, White still maintains his stance on the qualities of NFL stars like Maxx Crosby to compete in the leading MMA promotion.

“It’s funny. Hunter Campbell and Dana. They are hilarious,” said Crosby in an interview with CBS Sports. “And they are fully convinced that by the year 2030 or 2031, I’m gonna be the heavyweight champion.

I’m that type of person that’s never gonna put a limit on what I do. I live one life, but I definitely have certain things that I wanna accomplish and things I wanna do, and I’m never gonna close the door on opportunity. So I truly don’t know.”

According to Crosby, White, and Hunter Campbell’s thoughts on him seem to be quite assertive. However, as of now, the developments surrounding that interest are yet to take place.

On that note, do you think Crosby has the potential to become a UFC heavyweight champion? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!