MMA influencer Pappi Gio has been making waves after a recent sparring session with a top featherweight fighter, but fans aren’t satisfied just yet. In the growing trend of influencers stepping into the cage with UFC pros, fans are now egging Gio to take things up a notch and spar with the most aggressive male in history of sparring-Sean Strickland.
Known for his intense sparring sessions—and for not exactly going easy on influencers—Strickland has a bit of a reputation when it comes to trading blows with non-pros. With fans buzzing, it seems like they want to see if Gio can handle the heat against one of the UFC’s most violent training partner.
For the uninitiated, Papi Gio is an MMA influencer who has a considerable following on social media platforms, which includes 138k followers on Instagram and 206k followers on TikTok. He is often seen posting content about MMA and seen spending time with fighters.
But this time around, Gio decided to better immerse himself into the sport by stepping into the octagon. The MMA influencer laced up his gloves and attended a sparring session with none other than knockout artist and UFC featherweight, Josh Emmett.
However, unlike a Strickland, Emmett took it relatively easy on Gio. Fans reacted to the same, demanding a step up in competition for Gio.
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“yo props to josh for letting him work fr”– said a fan.
Another fan added, “I love that Josh’s smiling the entire time haha.”
A fan suggested, “Spar with Sean strickland gio.”
“I’ve seen enough give him topuria”- said another fan
Based on Strickland’s recent sparring video’s it is unlikely that Gio will step in against the former middleweight champion.
When MMA community called out Strickland
A few months ago, controversial streamer Sneako decided to spar Strickland to better himself. Mind you, Sneako is an absolute novice with zero training and combat experience. However, that did not stop Strickland from beating his brakes off Sneako to the point where he had a bloody nose.
One might think this was an aberration but it’s actually not. Strickland has had a history of being unnecessarily violent with his sparring partners.
Now, coming back to Sneako, what Strickland did to him did not sit well with fellow UFC fighters and the MMA community in general who blasted the former middleweight champion for acting recklessly.
So, if Gio is smart he will probably not step into the octagon anytime soon with Strickland based on what Sneako experienced.
