Dylan Fairchild has a chance to be an immediate starter on the Cincinnati Bengals offensive line as a rookie this season.
Drafted in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft, the Georgia product is expected to compete for the starting left guard spot with Cordell Volson, who was mentioned as a cut candidate if the Bengals prefer Fairchild and want to generate cap space.
With training camp just a few weeks away, Fairchild has been putting in the world to improve his body and be in the best shape possible for camp. Some of those workouts have seen an unconventional approach. Over the weekend, Fairchild traded out the cleats to go barefoot in the octagon.
Fairchild tested his wrestling skills face to face with UFC champion Sean Strickland in a workout session.
The rookie (in the t-shirt) held his own and earned the respect of one of the best in the business. See for yourself:
Cincinnati Bengals guard Dylan Fairchild training with Sean Strickland pic.twitter.com/WrL5ffFW7I
— Otto rocket (@Jon3sy937) June 28, 2025
“The man can wrestle!” Strickland yelled after the scrum. Strickland holds a 29-7 UFC record and beat Israel Adesanya at UFC 293 in 2023 for the middleweight title belt. He currently ranks as the No. 2 middleweight fighter in the world.
Fairchild held his own thanks to his past experience on the mat.
The 6-5, 320-pound lineman was a dominant high school wrestler, finishing his career with a 67-0 record. He won two heavyweight state titles and finished 22-0 as a senior at West Forsyth High School in Cumming, Georgia. Fairchild also played on both offensive and defensive lines in high school, earning four-star status as a football recruit.
As a junior with the Bulldogs, Fairchild was a finalist for the Joe Moore Award given to the nation’s top interior offensive lineman. Last season, he earned Second Team All-American honors.
Fairchild’s movement and dexterity was put on full display at the NFL Scouting Combine earlier this spring, posting a ridiculous 96 athleticism score – the second-highest among all guards in the class.
The Bengals and quarterback Joe Burrow are getting a world-class athlete in Fairchild at his size and strength. These traits grow the optimism that he will have great success anchoring the interior of Cincinnati’s O-line for years to come.
