UFC president Dana White is pushing back at critics who are outraged by Sean Strickland’s "colorful" remarks this week, insisting that anyone offended by the controversial middleweight should stop asking him questions instead of demanding the promotion rein him in.
“If you get your feelings hurt that bad, you probably shouldn’t ask the kind of questions when you know the answer you’re going to get from Strickland."
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Strickland’s tirade draws mainstream backlash
Sean Strickland’s UFC Houston media day appearance turned into a torrent of slurs and inflammatory remarks that quickly escaped the MMA bubble.
As detailed by Variety and other mainstream outlets, Strickland used a homophobic slur to describe upcoming Super Bowl halftime performer Bad Bunny, mocked the NFL for “gaying up” football with its entertainment choices, and derided him as a “gay foreigner” brought in to perform.
He also claimed women have been empowered “too much” and “ruined society,” then reduced their value to domestic roles like cooking and cleaning while dismissing interest in women’s sports.
Aaaaaaand he was just getting started.
When asked about Netflix’s planned MMA exhibition between Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano, he suggested they should fight “half naked,” joked about Rousey’s history of being abused by a former partner, and sexualized Carano while reminiscing about watching her fight as a teenager.
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The media day was staged to promote his main event bout with Anthony Hernandez this Saturday in Houston, airing on Paramount+, and marks Strickland’s first fight since a 2025 suspension for attacking another fighter while working as a cornerman.
The combination of misogynistic, anti-LGBTQ and xenophobic rhetoric turned what was supposed to be a standard promotional hit into a corporate headache.
Variety noted that both Paramount+ and the UFC did not immediately respond to requests for comment, underscoring how sensitive the situation is for the promotion and its broadcast partner as the clip circulates beyond fight fans.
Dana White: ‘Don’t ask him if you’re going to cry about it’
While broadcast partners and sponsors may be bracing for fallout, Dana White’s stance on Strickland remains consistent with how he has handled past controversies involving the former middleweight champion.
Speaking previously about backlash to Strickland’s offensive comments, White argued that members of the media who get their “feelings hurt” by Strickland’s answers are partly to blame when they knowingly toss him provocative questions.
“If you get your feelings hurt that bad, you probably shouldn’t ask the kind of questions when you know the answer you’re going to get from Strickland,” White said when asked about criticism of the fighter’s language.
He scoffed at the idea that the UFC gives Strickland a long “leash,” insisting that he doesn’t try to police fighters’ speech and that they are responsible for what comes out of their own mouths.
White has framed the issue as one of individual freedom rather than corporate responsibility.
“I don’t tell any other human being what to say or what to think,” he said, rejecting the notion that he should intervene when Strickland’s talking points veer into bigotry or hate.
In his view, the media have a clear idea of who Strickland is and what kind of soundbites he generates, and they should not act surprised when he delivers exactly that.
‘No leashes’ and the UFC’s free-speech posture
White’s broader message is that fights are the UFC’s product, but fighters’ speech belongs to them—even when it crosses lines that many fans, media members and advocacy groups find offensive.
He has repeatedly rejected calls to muzzle Strickland, saying he does not put “leashes” on athletes or script their personalities, even as sponsors and partners must live with the fallout of what they say.
That posture is now being stress-tested as Strickland’s comments are amplified by mainstream outlets like Variety, which framed the Houston media day appearance as a “bigoted tirade” that targeted women, LGBTQ people and immigrants.
Instead of signaling a change in approach, White is doubling down on the idea that Strickland is an uncensored personality and that anyone offended by him should stop treating him like a reliable spokesman for the sport.
UFC, Paramount+ and the optics problem
The tension for the UFC is that Strickland is not just a random undercard fighter ranting on social media; he is a former champion headlining a Paramount+-streamed event that the company is actively promoting.
His tirade unfolded on an official UFC media platform, with UFC branding everywhere, and directly tied to a fight the promotion and its partners want fans to watch on Saturday.
UFC's silence when reached for comment, combined with White’s “no leashes” rhetoric, paints the picture of a company willing to absorb reputational damage in exchange for the attention and viral clips that come with Strickland’s persona.
At the same time, Strickland’s opponent Anthony Hernandez has already addressed racially charged material involving Strickland in the build-up to UFC Houston, vowing to “torture” him in the cage after a racist post depicted Hernandez using stereotypical Mexican imagery.
For now, there is no indication that White plans to discipline Strickland over his latest comments, much less tell him to tone down his rhetoric.
With Strickland set to headline in Houston on Paramount+, the fallout from this week’s comments (and White’s refusal to distance himself from them) will loom over Saturday night’s broadcast.
