Sean Strickland has established himself as a man who demands media attention each time he speaks, though often not for the right reasons.
The UFC’s move to Paramount has added benefits for fighters and fans alike, with a value boost in athlete bonuses for good performances, while supporters can tune in for $8.99 per month, a portion of the previous cost. But less than two months into their deal, Paramount is facing backlash after Strickland presented one of his infamous tirades during fight week.
The former UFC middleweight champion is in contention to compete for another title should he win his next outing, but that hasn’t stopped him from being his old self. Strickland only had the center stage for a couple of minutes before discrediting Paramount.
“Yeah, no, f*** Paramount, man,” Strickland said in protest against the new home of the UFC. “It’s real quiet today. I like it, man. You’ve got to like lose fights more often. It’s going back to the Apex here with you guys. It’s real quiet. No one’s here. Is that like a bad sign for the MMA world or is it just this card?”
Continuing his attack on Paramount, Strickland blamed them for ruining a childhood passion of his.
“Paramount’s cool,” Strickland continued. “I mean, they f***ing ruined Halo, but other than that, you know. They made it gay. Other than f***ing ruining like a childhood memory and legend to me, I mean, Paramount’s cool.”
“We don’t make more money, but you know.”
As the mixed martial arts world has become accustomed to, Sean Strickland is never too far away from damaging his image with wild remarks.
His appearance at UFC Houston media day had several controversial moments, but arguably none worse than the comments about Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny, who was honored with the Super Bowl LX halftime show headlining spot.
“I mean, look at the NFL, dude,” Strickland said. “You had that, I don’t even want to say the fa**ots name because it’s just like, what?… The Puerto Rican, right? Yeah, that f***ing fa**ot.”
“Like, dude, it is so crazy that this is America now. Like, back in the day, dude, the NFL was like, the NFL was the f***ing standard of being a f***ing man. And now every f***ing year, the NFL, I think they all get together around a table and say, ‘You know what, guys? How do we f***ing ruin this sport? How do we gay it up? How do we f***ing ruin it?’ Well, I’ll tell you what. Why don’t we bring a gay foreigner who doesn’t speak f***ing English and have him perform it?”
“Like, get the f***. And then you have like, yeah, dude. It’s like, the NFL is f***ing pathetic these days. So, even like the NFL players probably f***ing hate it. No, NFL’s gay. I think we’d all agree that the NFL got real gay lately…”
The aftermath of Sean Strickland’s words has not been pretty. Not only have fans demanded that the UFC remove Strickland from any media obligations, while others are calling for his contract to be terminated, but the Paramount network has also been pushed to answer some uncomfortable questions.
According to reports, many fans and media outlets have begun pressuring Paramount to respond to Strickland’s vulgar comments. Homophobia and sexism persist anytime the UFC fighter is placed in front of a camera.
The public outrage may be justified, but Dana White will always promote free speech among those working in any of his business ventures. White’s willingness to accept any comment is considered positive by some, but concerns are beginning to plague him and Paramount for allowing sensitive topics to be ridiculed.
🚨 Paramount are now facing pressure from the media to address Sean Strickland publicly calling Bad Bunny a “f****t” and making sexist commentsStrickland’s comments are now receiving coverage from @Variety who have contacted Paramount reps for comment, to no response yet pic.twitter.com/QMjLl0eXvY
— ACD MMA (@acdmma_) February 19, 2026
