UFC middleweight Sean Strickland has come under fire for making inflammatory comments about women, race, and other controversial topics. But in a recent YouTube video, Strickland asserted that despite his coarse language, he does not actually hold sexist views.
“I get called a bigot, sexist, racist. I love women. I am the biggest advocate of women. I celebrate women. You wanna be gay, I applaud you. F**king be who you want to be be happy.”
“Racist. There’s not one racist thing about me, you guys. Every time I have a racist thought in my head, every time maybe there’s some deep rooted bigotry that comes into my head, I actively acknowledge it. And I combat it.”
The outspoken combatant contended that his impolite way of speaking does not reflect any underlying prejudice.
“Everything that is said about me is wrong, you know. So to to say like, I’m controversial. Like, I’m not controversial. I’m just I’m a person going through life just like you guys.”
Strickland has drawn criticism for remarks about hitting women, joking about r*pe, and using racial slurs. However, he maintains that these are just words and do not represent any sincere animosity.
“It’s very difficult to be a good man. It’s very hard not to like the girls photo. It’s very difficult not to say untruth. It’s very difficult not to lie. These are all things that as a a man, you shouldn’t do, but we all do it.”
He went on to say influencers have warped his persona and blames them for the way he comes across to fans. Strickland stated: “We’re talking about influencers and people with cameras in front of the face. And until you spend a week with these people, you do not understand that there’s a difference between us and them.”
“There’s a big difference. They’re not human. I would I would applaud any human being that could spend a week with them and not hit them.”
The polarizing UFC star asked to be judged by his actions rather than his words. While Sean Strickland continues to spark backlash for his outlandish statements, he contends that he harbors no actual ill will.