UFC champion Sean Strickland did not hold back on his political views during a news conference on Wednesday.
The American mixed martial artist lit into a Canadian reporter with an expletive-laden tirade while speaking to the media ahead of his middleweight title fight against South African Dircus du Plessis in Toronto on Saturday night.
During the news conference, Strickland talked about the truckers’ “Freedom Convoy” protests in response to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s strict COVID-19 mandates — and Trudeau’s seizure of the protesters’ bank accounts to shut them down.
When one reporter started to ask a question, Strickland asked if he had voted for Trudeau. The reporter declined to answer.
“Let me tell you something right now,” the MMA champ said. “If a man says he’s not going to say it, like, if you ask a motherf***er, ‘Did you vote for [President Joe] Biden?’ and he’s like, ‘Well I’m not gonna say — that’s none of your business,’ he voted for f***ing Biden.”
He added, “This is what I’m talking about, guys. The enemy. The enemy of Canada.”
The journalist then asked him about his views on homosexuality, which kicked off another foul-mouthed rant.
“Let me ask you something, are you gay? … No, are you gay? … Well no I’m asking you, this is a part of it, are you a gay man?” Strickland said.
The reporter responded that he was “an ally of the community.”
Did Strickland go too far?
“OK, if you had a son and he was … gay, you’d be, like, ‘Oh, man’ — you don’t want a grandkid?”
“No problem with it,” the reporter answered.
“Oh, man, well, dude, you’re a weak f***ing man, dude,” the MMA champ said. “You’re part of the f***ing problem.
“You elected Justin Trudeau. Like, when he seized the bank accounts — like, you’re just f***ing pathetic. And the fact that you have no f***ing backbone as he shut down your f***ing country and seized bank accounts, you ask me some stupid shit like that?
“Go f*** yourself. Move the f*** on, man. F***ing coward.”
The reporter didn’t move on, instead pressing Strickland on “the trans community” and Bud Light, which faced a backlash after enlisting a transgender activist for a promotion last year.
“Here’s the thing about Bud Light,” he responded. “Ten years ago, to be trans was a what? A mental f***ing illness. And now all of a sudden people like you have f***ing weaseled your way into the world.
“You are an infection. You are the definition of weakness. Everything that is wrong with the world is because of f***ing you.
“And the best thing is, the world’s not buying it. The world’s not buying your f***ing bulls*** you’re f***ing peddling. The world is not saying, ‘You know what? You’re right, f***ing chicks have d***s.’ The world’s not saying that.
“The world is saying, ‘No. There are two genders. I don’t want my kid being taught about who they can f*** in school. I don’t want my kid being taught about their sexual preference.’”
Strickland continued, “This guy is the f***ing enemy. You want to look at the f***ing enemy to our world? It’s that motherf***er right there.”
WARNING: The following video contains vulgar language that some viewers may find offensive.
In another exchange during the news conference, the MMA champ started asking questions after Neil Davidson of The Canadian Press introduced himself.
“The Canadian Press, man,” he said. “Were you a COVID bank account stealer, too? Were you on board with that? … Are you left-wing or right-wing? Were you a Trudeau?
“We got one of the f***ing commies with the Press. We gotta know where this man stands. Are you nonbiased?”
Davidson responded, “I think I’ll ask the questions here.”
“Maybe I should just pass on this motherf***er,” Strickland said. “He’s gonna give my bank account information to f***ing Trudeau.”
In a podcast released earlier this week, Strickland opened up about his abusive childhood and how he planned to channel his anger ahead of the Saturday bout.
UFC Champ Sean Strickland Gets Emotional Sharing the Childhood Trauma He Endured Growing Up
“Whenever Dricus goes on there and he jokes about that sh*t, dude you have no idea” pic.twitter.com/kXvALh9YGY
— Chief Nerd (@TheChiefNerd) January 3, 2024
Strickland will fight du Plessis at the Scotiabank Arena in UFC 297.
