Sean Strickland reports ATV crash in Las Vegas and says friend is in hospital

UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland has described an all-terrain vehicle crash in Las Vegas in which he said he was not wearing a helmet. According to reporting by the Guardian and agencies, the 35-year-old said the accident happened on Monday night and subsequently posted videos discussing his condition and that of a friend.

Watch the highlights:

Strickland said he had allowed his friend to drive before the vehicle overturned. In his account, they were travelling at about 60mph and rolled approximately six times. Those details were his description of the accident, rather than findings from an investigation. His initial video conveyed distress as he showed marks on his head and shoulder.

The fighter attributed the mark on his head to hitting the ground during the crash. He also said his shoulder had struck concrete and dirt as the vehicle rolled. Strickland acknowledged that he had been travelling without a helmet and criticised his own decision. The report described the visible marks as scratches, without providing a medical diagnosis of his injuries.

In a later update, Strickland gave a less alarming assessment of his own condition, saying he thought he was OK. He said his friend, whom he identified as Chris, had briefly lost consciousness and was in hospital. Strickland expressed hope that his friend would recover, but his comments did not establish a confirmed medical outlook or say when the friend might leave hospital.

The incident comes four months after Strickland reclaimed the UFC middleweight championship. He beat Khamzat Chimaev by split decision at UFC 328 in May, according to the Guardian's report. The same account also noted an earlier motorcycle incident in 2018 that kept Strickland away from the octagon for two years.

That previous absence does not establish how this latest accident will affect his fighting career. The report did not provide a recovery timetable or identify a change to his competition schedule. For now, the information about the rollover and its immediate aftermath rests on Strickland's public statements, including his later assessment that he was not badly hurt.