Sean Strickland fought in the Philippines in 2013. It seems the country made a big impression on the UFC middleweight champion but not in a good way.
The King of the Cage fight card consisted almost exclusively of Filipino fighters although Quentin Jackson was in attendance as a special guest. Strickland beat Yusuke Sakashita in the main event to defend his KOTC middleweight title.
Within a year Strickland would be in the UFC but he has clearly not forgotten his time in Manila. He took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share some less than fond memories,
“I fought in the Philippines once.. Most fucked up place I’ve ever seen. There were girls advertising their age. Very young. Wealthy men, ex UFC fighters with young prostitutes on their arms. These dirty fucks vacation in those Asian countries. It’s not even hidden. Scum.”
I fought in the Philippines once.. Most fucked up place I've ever seen.
There were girls advertising their age. Very young.
Wealthy men, ex UFC fighters with young prostitutes on their arms.
These dirty fucks vacation in those Asian countries. It's not even hidden.
Scum..
— Sean Strickland (@SStricklandMMA) January 5, 2024
Childhood trauma
Strickland recently got in a physical altercation with upcoming opponent Dricus du Plessis. The two are set to face off in a middleweight title fight at UFC 297 next week.
Afterwards Strickland opened up about the abuse he had suffered as a child. He accused du Plessis of triggering some traumatic memories and said this was why he had attacked the South African.
It is not just Filipinos who Strickland has been upsetting. He also made some unpleasant comments about China which Song Yadong took issue with:
Hey champ, I respect your skills as a fighter, but we should be talking facts, not baseless stereotypes. As athletes, we ought to focus on what we know best and avoid making unfounded comments. Let's set a good example, alright?"
— Song Yadong (@SongYadongLFG) January 6, 2024
Good example
Yadong called on Strickland to set ‘a good example’ but this doesn’t appear to be high on the American’s current list of priorities. Strickland has always been outspoken but his confidence is sky high after beating Israel Adesanya at UFC 293.
Strickland came into that fight as a huge underdog but he upset the odds to capture the UFC middleweight title. It clearly isn’t the only upset the American has caused this year with several people taking issue with his controversial online comments.
