'UFC middleweight champion' Sean Strickland (35·United States) once again found himself at the center of controversy. This time the issue was his use of the so‑called N-word, the word nigger.
The British outlet Sports Bible reported on the 25th (Korea time), "Strickland was engulfed in controversy after repeatedly using racist profanity during an MMA event. He has consistently sparked controversy with remarks related to religion, race, gender and sexual orientation, and is considered one of the biggest troublemakers in UFC history," it reported.
The incident took place Saturday night at the 'Brand Risk 014' event held in Las Vegas. It was an event hosted by streamer Adin Ross, held at the UFC Apex facility, and included a total of 11 bouts, featuring games of former NBA players and a matchup between R&B singer Ray J and internet star Supa Hot Fire.
Strickland, who earlier this month defeated Khamzat Chimaev to become a two‑time middleweight champion, served as a commentator. He sat at the commentary table with UFC streamer Nina Dama, controversial rapper 6ix9ine, and UFC fighter Arman Tsarukyan.
Once again his mouth was the problem. During the fight someone shouted, "Tap, nigger." That is a well‑known racial slur against Black people. Strickland was then filmed repeating the word nigger and saying, "I like that," after which the scene was captured.
The video quickly spread online and recorded about 300,000 views on social media. Unsurprisingly, Strickland did not offer any apology about it.
Instead, Strickland expressed displeasure at host Benderdon, who had mentioned that a white fighter used the word toward Adin Ross because he was "excited." He snapped, "He's a really sensitive Black person," and said, "That person reacted extremely sensitively to the N-word."
He even made another controversial remark. Strickland said, "Being here, I'm starting to understand why Jewish people are hated so much. You might see me come back here with a weird mustache," uttering words that appeared to allude to Adolf Hitler, who instigated World War II.
Meanwhile, Strickland left the event midway, saying he was ashamed to have attended the MMA event at all, and strongly criticized the event itself. That was because a streamer with personal controversies participated in the bouts, and because it included a match between two people with dwarfism and a bizarre interview segment with a man who resembled sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Strickland told fans on social media, "I've never participated in something so shameful in my life. I hate myself, and being here makes me feel more diminished as a man."
He also said, "My God, why did I agree to do this. Nina is my friend and I like Adin too, but I feel so nauseous right now. I've never done anything so shameful in my life," and sighed, "It makes me so sad to think the streamer community will inherit America. It's really awful and I wish all of this would stop."
Strickland has constantly been on the chopping block for his shocking words and actions as much as for his outstanding skills. He has repeatedly used anti‑LGBTQ and misogynistic and racist expressions, drawing heavy criticism. In 2024 he stirred controversy by saying, "I love Korean people and Japanese people. But Chinese people are all bad. They're total XX beasts. They're loud and dirty like savages."
[Photo] ⓒGettyimages (unauthorized reproduction and redistribution prohibited), Brand Risk, Sports Bible social media.
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