Apparently, it takes the entire UFC PR team to attempt to control the hurricane that is Sean Strickland! The former UFC middleweight champion is known for his brash and outspoken personality which even included a beef with musician, Machine Gun Kelly. During the build-up to his UFC 293 clash against then-champion, Israel Adesanya, Strickland caught the fans’ attention with his unfiltered responses in practically every situation.

In the pre-fight press conference, Strickland stated, “Nobody likes f*cking Izzy. He’s a f*cking cringelord. This f*cking cringelord. F*cking A. Even talking about him makes me want to go f*cking take a shower. I feel dirty.”

This was just the tip of the iceberg as ‘Tarzan’ also aimed at Adesanya’s pet dog and his kickboxing days when he was fighting in China. While Adesanya appeared not to be bothered by his opponent’s antics, he did respond by stating, “When you argue with a fool, those who are watching can’t tell who’s who.”

However, a behind-the-scenes video was recently shared on Instagram by the Championship Rounds account that was captioned, “The UFC’s PR team really held a meeting regarding Sean Strickland ahead of his fight with Israel Adesanya.” The video begins with the UFC’s Laura Sanko sharing her thoughts on Strickland by stating, “He’s a guy who has no filter. And I mean, no filter.” It then transitions into a room filled with the UFC’s PR team who are attempting to figure out how to deal with Sean Strickland at press conferences one member of the team states, “I mean it was about 26 minutes of unadulterated, Sean. He just says it all.”

Regardless, the fans seem to have rallied behind ‘Tarzan’ as they blasted the UFC and CEO Dana White for their attempts at trying to control Strickland’s “freedom of speech”. Here’s a look at what the community had to say.

Sean Strickland’s fans blast the UFC and Dana White as behind-the-scenes footage goes viral online

A fan claimed that this was the reason why Sean Strickland lost his fight against Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 297 earlier this year when the South African took the middleweight title from ‘Tarzan’ in a controversial split decision. They even claimed that the PR team’s meeting goes against the UFC and Dana White’s statements regarding “freedom of speech”

“What more proof do you guys need Sean was robbed against dricus.. I truly thought ufc was freedom of speech till I saw this… meetings and note pads out. Sad stuff”

Another fan referenced the fact that going into the matchup against Adesanya, Strickland was a massive underdog and as such, they claimed that the “bias” against Strickland was an attempt by the promotion to subtly influence the outcome of the fight

“Trying to talk to someone about how they talk as they are going into a title fight as a +500 underdog, insane bias they try their best to influence the outcome of fights without actually doing it”

Meanwhile others responded with laughter and claimed that the video is the perfect example of Strickland’s appeal for his fans

“Hahahahahhaha i think this is why i love sean so much!!!”

In fact, some even claimed that if the UFC were to succeed in reigning in Sean Strickland, the fandom would “riot” in protest

“Sean’s one the only really big stars in the ufc. They silence him we riot”

A fan also called for more unfiltered responses and statements from Strickland, free from the influence of the UFC’s PR team

“We need more Sean and less pr team”

Another fan brought up the disconnect between the PR team’s video and UFC CEO Dana White’s previous statements when he was asked to share his thoughts on Strickland’s comments by the media. The UFC boss had stated, “I don’t f*cking tell any other human being what to say, what to think. And there’s no leashes on any of them …”

“And Dana says we dont tell anybody what to say”

And one supporter of Strickland claimed that the former middleweight champion’s unfiltered outbursts are what make him “real” in their eyes as they pointed out that he shares his unbiased opinions on everything

“Sean is more real than 99.9% of people in this world, he says it as it is”

In conclusion, the viral behind-the-scenes video has fueled accusations of “insane bias” within the UFC, with fans arguing that efforts to censor Strickland were not only unnecessary but also indicative of a larger issue. The backlash highlights a growing disconnect between the promotion’s leadership and its fan base, who champion authenticity and transparency. 

What are your thoughts on Sean Strickland’s persona and the UFC PR team’s attempts at trying to curb his antics? Share them with us in the comments below!