Based on his appearances at the top of the UFC 293, 297 and 312 pay-per-view cards, the UFC would be wise to change course when it comes to Sean Strickland. The former middleweight champion will rematch Dricus Du Plessis, the man who took the belt from him at UFC 297 on Jan. 20, 2024, in the main event Saturday of UFC 312.
And like he did at UFC 293 when he won the title from Israel Adesanya and at UFC 297 when he lost it to Du Plessis, Strickland owned both media day and the final pre-fight press conference this week with his outlandish trash talk.
The audience at the news conference roared nearly every time he spoke, and it was as if Strickland was trying to be more outrageous with each successive answer.
His pre-fight media sessions have become must watch for so many in the fan base, the UFC should charge admission to them.
He entered his media day session Tuesday carrying a cup of coffee with a wry grin. He knew he was going to be outrageous, and he couldn't help but start before he'd even been seated.
"Don't say gay; don't go full Bryce Mitchell and we'll be OK," Strickland said as he entered the room.
At UFC 297 in Toronto, Strickland created headlines across Canada when he bashed prime minister Justin Trudeau and got into battle with a reporter who tried to ask him about his past comments on LGBTQ+ issues.
"You're a weak f*cking mean, dude," Strickland said when the reporter said he'd have "no problem with it" if his son were gay. "You're part of the f*cking problem. You elected Justin Trudeau. When he seized the bank accounts, you're just f*cking pathetic. And the fact that you have no f*cking backbone and that as he's shut down your f*cking country and seized bank accounts, you ask me some stupid shit like that. Go f*ck yourself."
And there, ladies and gentlemen, was your pre-fight story for UFC 297.
He was wearing a t-shirt as he spoke that had the phrase, "A Woman In Every Kitchen A Gun In Every Hand Sean Strickland 2024" emblazoned across the front.
His outbursts garnered headlines and outrage across Canada, though the Canadian Press reported that at the UFC 297 pre-fight news conference, Strickland's trash talk "was greeted by wild cheers from the capacity crowd of some 900..."
He was so outrageous in Toronto last year that when UFC CEO Dana White was asked at the final UFC 297 news conference about UFC 300, which was then a couple of months away, he demurred.
"I'm not even thinking about 300 right now," White said. "I'm just trying to get through the next 15 minutes here."
As he arrived for his media day session at UFC 312, he made reference to Mitchell, the UFC featherweight who last week made the worst type of headlines by calling Nazi leader Adolf Hitler "a good guy."
Tongue firmly in cheek, Strickland "warned" reporters before he sat down about getting him rolling regarding Mitchell's comments.
"You just can't go Full Third Reich and you'll be OK," Strickland told reporters.
When the first question was about the rematch, he acted indignant.
"C'mon you guys," he said, trying to stifle laughs. "At least you could ask me a fun question."
When the reporter asked about his mustache, he said, "I know I look like I should be going to a Klan meeting with Bryce Mitchell."
If the reporters won't ask leading questions that allow him to drop incendiary, headline-grabbing answers, he'll ask the question himself and give his answer.
He's bashed gays, transgenders, liberals, Canadians and this week, he took on the Australians. He was so outrageous -- though the crowds loved him -- that the tabloid the Daily Telegraph devoted its back page to him.
— UFC (@ufc) February 6, 2025
It referred to him as "UFC's biggest imbecile," with the massive headline screaming, "Will Someone Please Knock This Guy Out?"
Don't expect him to receive an honorary degree from Harvard or to be invited to do commercials promoting tourism to Australia, but he's OK with that. He's made a game, and now a lucrative living, off of being as outrageous as possible.
His over-the-top interviews and often outrageous takes deflect attention from the fact that he's a legitimately elite fighter. He's 29-6, including 15-6 in the UFC as he approaches his 11th anniversary with the company.
In the last six years, the only clear defeat he suffered was a first-round KO at the hands of the now-light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira on July 2, 2022, at UFC 276. Strickland's other two losses in that span were split decisions to Du Plessis at UFC 297 and to Jared Cannonier at a Fight Night that he easily could have won.
Of course, it garners more clicks to talk about him insulting prominent people, race, mocking even his friends and being as outrageous as possible than it does to break down his fight style. He's an elite striker and keeps such a high pace he wears opponents down. Du Plessis mocked him as "a points fighter," because he's had decisions in his last three bouts, but he has 11 knockouts and 15 total finishes among his 29 wins.
There is little discussion these days of those points when Strickland is in public before a fight. It's almost a game to see who can get Strickland to be the most wild.
Du Plessis noticed what appeared to be a blister on one of his arms and made a post on X suggesting Strickland has staph infection. Strickland managed to turn that into an opportunity for yuks.
“Listen mother f*ckers, I’m immune to staph,” Strickland said at the news conference. “You see this f*cking mustache? I give staph. I don’t f*cking get staph. Calm the f*ck down. I don’t get sick. I don’t get f*cking injured. I don’t get f*cking staph.
"So, relax. I’m going to be out there on [Saturday], and I’m going to come out f*cking hard and strong. The hardest and strongest you’ve ever f*cking seen. To the f*cking death, Dutch man.”
No one is safe when Strickland is around, particularly when there are microphones and cameras pointed at him. He's leveraged his conservative beliefs to make himself a full-fledged star with the heavily right-leaning UFC fan base.
He's become one of the promotion's top draws. He's got an entertaining fight style, as even his most liberal opponents must concede. However, it's also true that his stardom reflects his willingness to say anything at any time no matter the setting, even more than it does his abilities inside the Octagon.
While this approach has turned him into a top draw, it's not without its critics, as the blaring newspaper headlines at UFC 297 and UFC 312 suggest. He's almost a walking violation of the UFC Athlete Code of Conduct, though the UFC itself rarely enforces it.
That's why it seems the UFC has it backward when Strickland fights. Charge for the media day. Charge for the press conference and let them watch him fight for free. You want to increase revenues? Well, there's a surefire way to pull it off.
Sean Strickland, world champion. Sean Strickland, Agent Provocateur.
It's hard to distinguish which means the most to him.