Newly crowned UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland has found himself at the center of a storm of controversy due to his recent remarks about women.
Strickland secured a victory over the formidable Israel Adesanya at UFC 293. Employing a strategic blend of boxing fundamentals and unrelenting pressure, Strickland managed to overwhelm Adesanya in the Octagon to win the middleweight title.
However, Strickland’s success in the Octagon has been consistently marred by off-hand remarks that have sparked outrage. Prior to his victory over Abus Magomedov earlier this year, he made a highly controversial statement advocating for women to step away from the workforce and ‘stay in the kitchen.’
These comments did not sit well with many, both within and outside the combat sports community. Among the vocal critics is former NFL star Robert Griffin III, who was the second overall pick in the NFL Draft.
In a recent tweet, Griffin expressed his vehement disapproval of Strickland’s views:
“Sean Strickland blaming women for the decline of our country and saying they should be put back in the kitchen is WRONG, irresponsible, and every leveled headed person watching this CAN’T WAIT FOR THIS GUY TO GET HIS A** KICKED. Women aren’t the problem Sean, YOU ARE.”
Griffin’s sentiments were echoed by Brendan Schaub, a former college football standout. He who offered his support for Griffin in a potential confrontation with Strickland: “Kick his a** RGIII”
Previously, Strickland appeared on the Food Truck Dairies podcast with Brendan Schaub. The pair talked about various things including women in mixed martial arts. Strickland said that women are strong then within a few seconds he said women are so weak that an untrained man could handle them.
“Bottom line is, women are very strong, they’re very amazing and I love them. But women are weak. Women are f*cking weak. My manager… he j*rks off Izzy for a living, and he could probably f*ck up Ronda Rousey.” Strickland said.
As of the time of this writing, Strickland has yet to respond to Griffin’s remarks on social media. However, it may only be a matter of time before he breaks his silence.
Griffin is now a distinguished college football analyst for ESPN and has had a unique trajectory in the world of football. After a promising start that saw him win Offensive Rookie of the Year, a series of injuries curtailed his professional football career.
With Strickland’s penchant for controversy, it is unlikely that his bold statements will fade into the background.