Sean Strickland Shares Heartbreaking DM Screenshot Revealing Sean Sharaf’s Living Situation Before UFC 331 Win:”Time to Get a Nicer Mattress”
Sean Strickland has given fans a look at what Sean Sharaf’s life looked like before his UFC 331 win over Gable Steveson. After Sharaf’s 12-second knockout, Strickland shared an earlier conversation between the two, showing that the UFC heavyweight had been sleeping on a mat and did not have a proper mattress.
Sharaf sent Strickland a picture of his belongings in his room three weeks before the fight. The former Marine was sleeping on a workout mat, and when Strickland suggested that he get a cheap box-spring mattress, Sharaf said he would instead buy an inflatable air mattress from Walmart..
Sharaf then walked into the Octagon against Steveson and changed his situation with one punch.
The 33-year-old landed a right hand before connecting with a left hook that put Steveson down. The referee stopped the fight 12 seconds into the opening round, giving Sharaf his first UFC victory and handing Steveson the first professional loss of his MMA career.
The win also brought Sharaf an additional $100,000. He was not selected for one of the UFC’s official Performance of the Night bonuses, but Dana White awarded him a $50,000 MobLand bonus and matched it with another $50,000.
That’s when Strickland returned to their earlier conversation and posted the screenshot on Instagram Stories, writing:
“@sharafmma time to get a nicer mattress after that 100k bonus you’re about to get.”
Check out the screenshot of Sean Strickland’s Instagram story below:
The comment was about a conversation from before the fight, when Sharaf was making do with a mat on the floor. After UFC 331, the same fighter had his first UFC win and an extra six-figure payday.
Sean Sharaf Plans To Use His $100K Bonus To Help His Mother Retire
The money also has a purpose for Sharaf. During his post-fight media appearance, he spoke about his mother and said he wanted to use what he earned to help her step away from work.
“I’m telling everyone I want to give that money to my mom. She’s 66 years old and has so many health problems. I want her to be able to retire because she’s prayed for me so hard.”
Sharaf has been open about how difficult the financial side of his MMA career has been. Before UFC 331, he shared an Experian screenshot showing more than $688,000 in debt. He later told reporters that he was considering bankruptcy despite the money he had just made from the fight.
His UFC contract paid him $30,000 to show and another $30,000 for the win, according to California State Athletic Commission figures reported after the event. The MobLand bonus pushed his disclosed earnings from UFC 331 to $160,000.
Sharaf also used his post-fight interview to talk about keeping faith during difficult periods.
“Believe in yourself, man. It’s all mental. Trust in God.”
He then spoke about people dealing with depression and encouraged them not to give up.
“I know many friends that battle with depression. It’s gonna get better. You gotta keep going no matter what.”
For Sharaf, the UFC 331 victory was about more than beating an Olympic gold medalist. It gave him his first UFC win, a $100,000 bonus and, most importantly to him, an opportunity to help his mother after years of financial struggle.
