KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Matthew Strickland has been fighting his entire life.
He was born in Harriman, Tennessee, where he found himself in a slew of street fights. He fought for his life after his father turned him to opioids as a minor. He also fought for his freedom while on the run from the police for a year, after committing assault and theft crimes.
"[The opioids] led me to stronger things. Street drugs. Heroin. I committed crimes in the name of it," Strickland said.
Once police caught the Oliver Springs High School graduate, he served sentences at the Anderson, Knox and Roane county detention centers. What happened inside the facility in Kingston, Tennessee changed his life.
"The Roane County jail system has faith-based programs and work-related programs to actually help rehabilitate inmates, instead of just incarcerate them," he said.
Strickland, admittedly, joined the programs to avoid spending 23 hours of his day inside the pod. After a while, he decided to focus and take the programs seriously.
The 38-year-old was a member of a faith-based in-and-out dad's class. During one spring session, the instructor taught about running from God. For a brief moment, Strickland stopped fighting.
"It was like, 'what are you waiting on? God has been waiting on you this whole time.' I don't know what it was, but I got down on my knees in front of, probably, 20 men," he said, describing the moment he cried out to God. "I felt this extreme weight lifted off of me and a cleansing feeling. Almost like getting hit with cold water that doesn't shock you."
On May 21, 2017, Strickland became a Christian. He started working for Roane County and had a stable job with the parks and recreation department by his release from the Roane County Detention Center.
In March of 2021, he heard of a tryout for the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship boxing promotion. Strickland decided to fight again. He sent in the paperwork and the promotion invited him to their tryout in Vestavia Hills, Alabama.
Standing 6'8" tall, he was the tallest prospect there.
"You've got 100 other guys that are trying to get this spot that I'm trying to get. I can't allow that to happen. I've got to get it," he said.
Strickland did get it. He impressed the scouts and signed a three-fight deal with Bare Knuckle Management, two days after the tryout.
Now a professional fighter, Strickland's focus is beyond the ring. He wants to reconnect with his two estranged daughters.
"My ultimate goal, in my life, is not to be a successful fighter. It's not to be a champion. It's not to be any of those things. It's to be a father and to be a good role model," he said.
His first fight has been scheduled, but he said he cannot share the details of when it will take place or who he will fight against.