SUMMARY
- Alexander K Lee, an MMA journalist, referenced Sean Strickland's past anti-gay comments during UFC 297 media day.
- Strickland, in 2021, claimed he would have failed as a father if his son was gay.
Sean Strickland has made many outlandish comments during his UFC career. One such comment was referenced during UFC 297 media day in Toronto, Canada.
Strickland was asked about his anti-gay comments made in 2021 by MMA journalist Alexander K Lee, a Toronto resident and writer for MMA Fighting. The American began by asking Lee if he voted for current Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Lee responded, “I’m not going to say.”
Strickland went off at Lee by making outrageous statements and even calling him part of the problem. “Let me ask you something, are you gay?” Strickland asked Lee. The journalist, as stated by Outsports, was not gay.
“You ask me some stupid sh*t like that? Go f*ck yourself.”
Sean Strickland went off on a reporter who pressed him on past comments about the LGBTQ community at #UFC297 media day. pic.twitter.com/wyTEcUZLbv
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) January 17, 2024
“No, are you gay?… Well no I’m asking you, this is a part of it, are you a gay man?… Ok, if you had a son and he was gay, you’d be like oh, man, you don’t want a grandkid?… Oh, man, well, dude you’re a weak f****** man, dude. You’re part of the f****** problem, you elected Justin Trudeau,” continued Strickland.
The UFC Middleweight champion was not finished. He added more controversial statements about Canadian politics. Strickland was visibly annoyed by the questions asked by the journalist.
Sean Strickland said he would have ‘failed as a man’ if his son was gay
For context, the comments made by Strickland that were referenced by Lee were extreme as well. In an interaction with another X account, Strickland was asked, “Sean, would you rather have a gay son or a THOT daughter?”
‘Tarzan’ replied, “If I had a gay son I would think I failed as a man to create such weakness. If I had a wh*re for a daughter I’d think she just wanted to be like her dad lol!!”
If I had a gay son I would think I failed as a man to create such weakness….. If I had a whore for a daughter I’d think she just wanted to be like her dad lol!! https://t.co/QlfKlpUnWr
— Sean Strickland (@SStricklandMMA) December 27, 2021
This is not Strickland’s only anti-gay comment. He has made more such comments throughout his UFC career. Recently, his outlandish comments got him into trouble. Strickland personally attacked his UFC 297 opponent Dricus Du Plessis during the UFC Seasonal Press Conference but the South African did not hold back.
Dricus attacked Strickland in return by mentioning his rough childhood. Strickland later broke down during Theo Von’s podcast claiming his rough childhood is “off limits” and should not be talked about. He later threatened to stab Du Plessis if he made similar comments again.
Journalist Alexander K Lee believes Sean Strickland’s stance on LGBTQ issues is ‘worse than most’
Lee explained to Outsports why he asked Strickland about his past comments. “I come from a city that has a very strong LGBTQ community,” Lee told Outsports after the encounter with Strickland. “I’ve never been comfortable with a lot of fighters’ stances on LGBTQ issues, and he’s been worse than most. I felt it was my responsibility to communities in the city of Toronto to ask these questions.”
Strickland vs Du Plessis in January pic.twitter.com/9JUnFLNHry
— UFC (@ufc) November 6, 2023
Strickland has not faced any consequences for his comments yet. He is scheduled to face South African fighter Du Plessis at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Canada, on January 20, 2024, at UFC 297.