Dylan Fairchild was selected 81st in the 2025 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals. The former Georgia Bulldogs offensive guard received a four-year, $6.4 million contract that includes $1.3 million in guarantees.
Bengals head coach Zac Taylor revealed the rookie will compete for a starting job at left guard as the team has struggled on the offensive line for several seasons, giving up the 11th-most sacks, 48, in 2024.
Cincinnati has already concluded mandatory minicamp, and players have several weeks off before training camp begins. Fairchild used some of that time to train with former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland.
Bengals Rookie Dylan Fairchild Wrestles With Former UFC Champion Sean Strickland
Fairchild showed off his wrestling background as he trained with the former UFC middleweight champion. The Bengals rookie was able to land a gator roll and an ankle pick on Strickland. Strickland shared the moment on Instagram, and Championship Rounds posted the footage on X, pairing it with Strickland’s caption:
“A 300+ pound man shouldn’t be able to hit an ankle pick like that.. When you’re done with the NFL… UFC??????”
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 clip from Championship Rounds racked up more than 5.5 million views on X, while Strickland’s Instagram post earned over 110,000 likes.
While Fairchild held his own against the No. 2-ranked middleweight in the UFC, it should be noted that he has a wrestling background. Prior to joining the Bulldogs for his college football career, the offensive lineman was a two-time high school state wrestling champion in Georgia.
Jeff Sentell, who covers Bulldogs football recruiting for Dawg Nation, shared footage of Fairchild’s second title match in 2021:
Congrats to All-American Georgia football signee @DylanFairchild6 for his assault on the 7A state heavyweight wrestling bracket this weekend. Mr. Fairchild is a dominant 2-time state champ. That kiss at the end was like something @RicFlairNatrBoy would do. pic.twitter.com/WnvWnSOQml
— Jeff Sentell (@jeffsentell) February 13, 2021
Fairchild finished his wrestling career with a 68-0 record over his junior and senior seasons. Fairchild was 46-0 with 46 pins as a junior and 22-0 with 22 pins as a senior, winning the state championship both years. He did not continue wrestling in college, choosing instead to focus on his football career, where he was a four-star prospect in the 2021 recruiting class. The decision paid off as he became a two-time national champion and second-team All-SEC selection in 2024.