Self-proclaimed hardcore American Sean Strickland is not new to controversies. As much as he is known for his uniquely defensive and puzzling fighting style, he is also notorious for his tendency to walk into trouble by making outrageous and unfiltered claims on almost any topic.
This time around, the former UFC middleweight champion captured the media’s attention with his bold take on UFC’s relationship with Saudi Arabia.
During the UFC 312 Media Day in Australia, Strickland could not hold back when asked about Dana White comparing the UFC championship to a master key that opens a lot of doors. Here’s what the 32-year-old had to say on the importance of being a UFC champ:
“You know what it is. If you’re a f****g shill. If you’re not, if you’re a f****g c***, like my boy Izzy and you want to go suck off the China government and you don’t have one ounce of freedom of speech or dignity, it opens up a lot of f****g doors.”
The controversial rant did not stop there as he went on to say:
“I mean, hell, like, you know how many uh, what, like the UFC’s buddy buddy with Saudi Arabia now. I shouldn’t say this dude, but I mean, look at my boy Vivic. How many, like, I could be wrong when I say this, weren’t like a significant amount of like the 9/11 guys Saudi, do they have Saudi passports is that what it was?”
Unsurprisingly, Strickland flipped the script in no time and also praised the Saudi people for their wealth as fighters get handsome paychecks when UFC returns to the region with a couple of events each year.
“That is, that are you backing them up? I think that’s what it was, and then the crazy thing about that Saudi Arabia. You know they seem like a real great people, and you gave us a lot of money, so thank you. I’m sure you lined my paycheck, and I appreciate that, but they get off a plane, and they go, and they randomly run into a guy from, like, the intelligence agency, and they go and stay with him.”
This is not the first time Strickland has had Saudi Arabia on his radar. Earlier, when his potential matchup with Khamzat Chimaev was making headlines, he dismissed the idea of traveling to Saudi Arabia and taking on the fight due to apparent cultural differences.
