A backstage moment at a recent UFC BJJ event has started controversy after a video surfaced showing former UFC middleweight Sean Strickland attempting to coach a young fan into throwing the middle finger for a photo. The girl, however, wasn’t having it.
In the clip, Strickland can be seen enthusiastically trying to get the young girl to flip an obscene gesture while posing for the picture. She holds her ground throughout, ultimately flashing a peace sign instead.
Strickland glances over, visibly checks her hand, and realizes she never budged. She left him hanging entirely.
The video spread rapidly across MMA forums and social media. Many fans were amused by the dynamic, with the prevailing sentiment being that the girl had demonstrated far more composure and self-awareness than the professional athlete standing next to her.
One popular comment described it as “props, the girl refused to give in to pressure,” while another noted she had “more class than a fully grown adult.”
People also compared Strickland to a certain family figures, with fans drawing parallels to the kind of relative who always seems to be nudging people toward questionable decisions, only to disappear when consequences arrive.
Not everyone viewed it so harshly. Some fans pointed out that Strickland was, at the very least, willing to take time for a young fan backstage, and that his intentions, however misguided, came from a place of trying to make the moment memorable in his own unfiltered way.
“It’s cute that Sean tried to make the moment special for the kid, albeit in his own weird way,” one commenter wrote.
Professionally, Strickland is at a very busy time in his career. The UFC has officially announced that Khamzat Chimaev will make the first defense of the UFC middleweight title against Strickland at UFC 328, scheduled for May 9 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
Chimaev, who carries a perfect 15-0 record and currently sits at No. 4 on ESPN’s pound-for-pound rankings, claimed the belt with a lopsided unanimous decision over Dricus du Plessis last August.
Strickland, now 30-7, worked his way back into contention with an impressive stoppage win over Anthony “Fluffy” Hernandez last month. The UFC’s No. 3 ranked middleweight earned the title match ahead of No. 2 ranked Nassourdine Imavov, who had lost to Strickland back in 2023 but has since strung together five consecutive wins.
Strickland previously held the middleweight title after defeating Israel Adesanya with a unanimous decision in 2023, before dropping the belt to du Plessis in his first defense and losing the rematch in February 2025.
