'You know you're gonna quit': UFC's Sean Strickland brutally beats former Navy SEAL in insane sparring session

UFC contender and former champion Sean Strickland viciously beat up a former Navy SEAL in a video that upset viewers and fans.

Strickland, fresh off a solid victory over fellow contender Paulo Costa at UFC 302, accepted the chance to spar with a Navy SEAL for five rounds in a caged sparring session.

The former SEAL's name is Mitch Aguiar, who actually has MMA experience. Aguiar had 12 amateur bouts between 2013-2017 before turning pro in 2018. He is 2-1 as a professional but hadn't fought since 2020.

"It always seems like a good idea to spar a world champion until you actually [do it]," former UFC fighter Jake Shields wrote on X, as he recorded the fight.

'The only SEAL that said yes … But man … He's one of the real ones.'

"You know you're gonna quit, bitch!" Strickland is heard saying in the video.

However, showing some restraint, the 185-pound fighter said "sorry" after punching the former armed forces member in the face.

"I don't want to knock you out," he added.

Playfulness quickly turned into brutality though, with five punishing rounds of sparring sending Aguiar to the canvas multiple times, although he never gave up.

"Mitch Aguiar is a savage and would beat 99.9 percent of humans in a fight[.] He decided he wanted to spar with Sean Strickland for 25 min," Shields wrote in a subsequent post. "He quickly learned there is a big difference between world champions but regardless he took a brutal beating and didn't quit[,] Sean obviously wasn't looking for a Ko but still dished out a bad beating[.] This is in round 5."

Many fans were upset by Strickland's decision to fight the former military man, perhaps not knowing that he is a professional fighter himself.

It should also be taken into consideration that Aguiar has never reached the ranks of the UFC nor promotions of similar caliber and fights at a weight class beneath Strickland: 170 pounds.

"This was disturbing to watch [not going to lie]," a viewer wrote, per Essentially Sports.

"What's the point of this[,] seriously?" another fan reacted.

Other viewers mocked Strickland for not keeping the same "energy" in fights that he has lost in the UFC.

Strickland was still cordial after the session and later reportedly praised Aguiar for being willing to step into the ring with him.

"The only SEAL that said yes … But man … He's one of the real ones. Probably why he was the only one that said yes," he said on an Instagram story.

Strickland has taken on opponents from many walks of life in recent years, including another beat down of the much smaller YouTuber nicknamed Sneako.

Joe Rogan reacted to that instance negatively, saying it's "not a good look."

"He beat the s*** out of that guy. I don't know why he wanted to do that," Rogan continued. "It's not fair," he added.

Interestingly enough, Aguiar was included in an answer on a Reddit page from 2018 regarding Navy SEALS and whether or not they could beat up a UFC fighter.

"A navy seal would beat a ufc fighter in a street fight," the post read. "They are trained in a number of different fighting styles and can not only break your bones by sheer punching power but also from tackling you," the post claimed.

A reader pointed directly to Aguiar, who was 1-1 at the time, as an example of how different the disciplines are.

He also noted former UFC fighter Brandon Wolff, who finished his career in 2010 with a 7-6 record. Wolff was a SEAL from 1999-2001.

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