Strickland Faces Cancelling Callouts After Homophobic Remarks

The former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland has yet caught himself in the middle of ongoing controversy. Known for his sarcastic and politically incorrect rhetoric, the contender has made a name for himself, not only for his fighting skills but also for his ability to create drama whenever he gets a hold of a mic.

Over the past three years, Strickland adopted the persona of an “open-mouthed, don’t care what you think” kind of guy. During this time, the prizefighter from Anaheim made an array of controversial statements, including his disbelief in women’s rights to vote, his defense of parental abuse, and many… many other comments.

These comments undoubtedly originate from a ‘humorous’ place; however, many people are offended by Strickland’s statements.

Strickland’s Recent Remarks May Have Gone Too Far

Recently, the former champion took a step further. In a Tweet published on March 11, Strickland mentioned the LGBTQ+ community, mentioning that the sole act of being act categorizes this person as “deformed”.

Disclaimer: JiuShitzu.com is trying to get monetized, we won’t quote the tweet. We got bills to pay… but here is a screenshot:

Strickland’s unlicensed biology lesson stirred all kinds of controversy. As usual, Twitter was among the first to call out the fighter. A couple of days later, former NFL player Carl Nassib joined the conversation, naming the former UFC champion as “scum of humanity”.

Interestingly, Nassib believes that the Ultimate Fighting Championship should take action and fire Sean Strickland from the organization. However, Dana White—the company’s president—has been adamant that the UFC stands by free speech, and that its fighters are free to say whatever they want.

“I don’t give anybody a leash,” White told the Nelk Boys at the post-fight press conference for UFC 297. “I don’t f***ing tell another human being what to say, what to believe. There are no leashes.”

Dana White’s remarks regarding fighters’ freedom to express themselves may not be entirely accurate. Throughout the years, the company has come to the point of terminating fighters’ contracts due to controversial remarks or actions outside of the octagon.

Can Sean Strickland be Fired From The UFC?

The organization has a policy of not considering fighters employees, but rather independent contractors. This business decision became even more prominent after the company was accused of being a monopoly by the 2014 antitrust lawsuit led by former UFC fighters like Jon Fitch, Cung Lee, and Brandon Vera.

Theoretically, there is a precedent for Strickland to be fired over his remarks. However, the likelihood of it happening is close to none.

In 2011, the company terminated the contract of then-bantamweight contender Miguel Torres. At the time, the company announced the firing after Torres tweeted a quote-for-quote joke from the popular comedy show “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”, that reads:

“If a r*pe van was called a surprise van, more women wouldn’t mind going for rides in them. Everyone likes surprises.” 

The company’s reaction was swift. Within the same week, Dana White announced that Torres was not only being cut but also that his career as a UFC fighter had effectively ended. This announcement implied that the bantamweight would never again have the opportunity to fight for the organization—a prediction that ultimately proved accurate.

It is important to mention that at the time, the Ultimate Fighting Championship was an organization a lot different than what it is today. In 2024, the UFC is cemented as one of the most lucrative sports organizations in the world.

However, at the time the company still faced a lot of resistance. For instance, the entire sport of mixed martial arts was unregulated in the State of New York, and the average pay-per-view buy was usually a lot lower than Boxing PPVs.

This entailed adopting a more “politically correct” stance. Today, as one of the most prominent organizations in the sports world, boasting lucrative deals with ESPN and the Saudis, the UFC is inclined to overlook the missteps of its fighters, especially those who enjoy widespread popularity like Strickland.