Bengals rookie OL Dylan Fairchild outwrestles former UFC champ Sean Strickland

The NFL offseason affords players the opportunity to pursue some outside interests. In the case of Cincinnati Bengals rookie offensive lineman Dylan Fairchild, that meant taking on a UFC star in a short bout.

Fairchild has a strong wrestling background, something that MMA fighter and former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland found out in a hurry. The former Georgia offensive lineman gave Strickland a real run for his money.

A clip of the fight was uploaded to social media and hit the Internet on Sunday. It’s well worth watching, so soak it in below.

Sean Strickland wrestles with NFL offensive lineman Dylan Fairchild

"A 300+ pound man shouldn't be able to hit an ankle pick like that.. When you're done with the NFL... UFC??" 😂

🎥 @SStricklandMMA #UFC #NFL pic.twitter.com/n73NFWVxEL

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) June 29, 2025

The fight started with an arm bar from Dylan Fairchild, which then turned into a single leg, but Sean Strickland managed to get out of that. But it was what happened next that really caught Strickland by surprise and signaled the fight was on for real.

After Strickland freed himself, the two were apart for a brief moment. Then Fairchild dove to the mat for an ankle pick for the takedown.

You can hear a bystander yell, “Oh sh*t!” They were clearly surprised by the speed with which the 6-foot-5, 318-pound Dylan Fairchild got to the mat. There’s some serious explosiveness on display.

Strickland rolled out of the ankle pick but went right into a gator roll, exposing his back for points and giving Fairchild the “win” in the miniature bout. The two then exchanged a high five and a hug, clearly impressed by each others’ ability.

“This man can wrestle,” Strickland said after the bout. And that is quite accurate.

Dylan Fairchild was a state champion wrestler in high school in the state of Georgia. He was the heavyweight champ, putting together a 47-0 record as a junior and a 23-0 record as a senior.

Fairchild went on to Georgia, where he was a multi-year starter and a stalwart on one of the SEC’s toughest offensive lines. He was drafted in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals.