Since failing to reclaim the middleweight title at UFC 312, there has been no word on when Sean Strickland will fight next. The ever-vocal star may have to stay on the sidelines for a lengthy duration as he’s facing an indefinite suspension following an altercation with a fighter during a local MMA event. While it’s not a novelty to see Strickland get into a controversy, the legendary Tito Ortiz appeared shocked when he stumbled upon this news.

Tito Ortiz recently spoke about a number of developments in the UFC landscape and even shared his analysis of the light heavyweight title rematch between Alex Pereira and Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 320. Thereafter, the former Huntington Beach City Council member learned about Sean Strickland’s suspension, as he didn’t expect ‘Tarzan’ to get reprimanded so strictly for the altercation at the local MMA event.

“Stop it! No way. For that little scuffle? Oh, my God! We’ll see how long that lasts,” Tito Ortiz told Helen Yee Sports during a recent interview. Nevertheless, the legend stressed the importance of maintaining composure and acting like a professional in the sport, which, according to Ortiz, could be the reason why the Nevada State Athletic Commission is taking strict action against Sean Strickland. They may want to teach the former middleweight champion a lesson.

“But you’ve gotta watch your temper. You’ve got to be a professional… You could cuss a person out, but you don’t want to attack a person like that,” Tito Ortiz continued. “Maybe they’re just making an example of him. I hope not. He deserves to fight again. Sean Strickland is a phenomenal fighter… Just to see him not be able to fight anymore, that’s a heartbreaker. I think fans will be bummed, too.”

Well, Tito Ortiz appeared to believe that maybe Sean Strickland will never fight again, but Helen Yee corrected him on that front. Regardless, he believes it was a good move on the commission’s part to show how much they value professionalism in the sport of mixed martial arts after they condemned ‘Tarzan’s recent barbaric behavior. “[The commission] set an example of him… as they should. Good, kudos to them. They need to make sure that all the fighters need to act professional,” Ortiz added.

Sean Strickland might be sidelined from MMA competition, but he’s not the type to sit idly at home waiting for clearance to fight again. The former middleweight champion has made it clear that he wants to take his talents to a different arena. Here’s what he stated.

Sean Strickland teases a boxing match

Sean Strickland has previously mentioned wanting the chance to compete in boxing, much like Conor McGregor, and more recently, Francis Ngannou, who’ve fought top boxers. For ‘Tarzan’ though, the former champion once called out YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul for a fight, which is a lucrative opportunity for many fighters. After all, Paul made a name for himself by boxing against MMA fighters.

However, nothing came to fruition, but maybe this is the right time. As Sean Strickland is out due to an indefinite suspension, he expressed his discomfort at not being able to fight until further notice. As such, he’s decided to make his move towards boxing until then, as he responded to a fan on X, claiming, “Yeah man, dark days indeed. Anyone wanna have an exhibition boxing match?”

Dana White firmly opposes his fighters competing outside the UFC while under contract. It looks like we might not witness Sean Strickland stepping into the boxing ring after all. So, what’s your take on his suspension? Is the commission using Strickland as a cautionary tale? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.