Sean Strickland is renowned for his outlandish views and his willingness to express them. The UFC middleweight told a story about going to prison as a youngster on the media day for UFC Vegas 67.
Strickland began by stating:
“I was arrested, bulls**t charges, but it was two felonies, and I had a lawyer saying, you’re going to jail for like a minimum of three years. I was like 18, 19…”
The American went on to describe his encounter with white supremacists:
“You walk in [to jail], and if you’re white, which you know, I am a white man, the white supremacists come up to you and give you the tour… They say, well, here’s the rules, they help you make your bed. They lay down the rules. Here’s the thing, you can’t go to the bathroom while we’re having dinner, and if you shower with a black guy, you gotta fight him…”
Strickland was in a difficult situation. Young and inexperienced, Strickland was being solicited by prejudiced white racists who wanted to recruit him.
Although not all jails and prisons are separated, it is typical for races to stick together there. Sean Strickland was a teenage prisoner who recognized that he had no other option except to support them.
Strickland said the following as his response:
“I’m like, listen, man, I’m not really racist… He goes, let me stop you right now, if you don’t join us, you’re pretty much on your own. You’re kinda f***ed… I walk past the segregation of black cells, and you have all of these Chris Curtis-looking motherf**kers grabbing the bars, threatening me, telling me they are going to f***ing kill me… What I’m trying to say is I’m not made for prison.”
After completing his prison sentence, the American turned his attention to MMA.
Strickland filled in on short notice for the main event at UFC Vegas 67 when Kelvin Gastelum abruptly withdrew from his match with Nassourdine Imavov.