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Sean Strickland has come under criticism for his NSFW reaction to footage of male fighters embracing their coach at UFC 290. The event featured South African fighters Cameron Saaiman and Dricus du Plessis, who secured dominant victories in their fights.
However, Saaiman and Du Plessis were subjected to trolling from some members of the MMA community after their respective interactions with their coach at UFC 290.
A viral video clip shows Dricus du Plessis getting up from his stool ahead of the commencement of round two in his UFC 290 fight against Robert Whittaker. Du Plessis' coach gave him a light pat on the torso and then grabbed the fighter's crotch while the latter was getting up.
Additionally, the coach appeared to kiss Du Plessis on the lips. Similarly, Cameron Saaiman's coach kissed him on the lips before his fight.
These displays of affection between the fighters and their coach sparked controversy, and a fan posted a tweet featuring photos and a video clip of the incidents.
UFC middleweight Sean Strickland referenced the fan's tweet and reacted to the footage of Du Plessis and Saaiman's interactions with their coach. Strickland has previously been criticized for his socio-political opinions that some view as anti-LGBT rhetoric.
'Tarzan' seems to have taken yet another jibe at the LGBT community, criticizing the UFC for looking like a pride commercial. The veteran fighter tweeted that Du Plessis and his next opponent, fellow African-born fighter Israel Adesanya, will likely fornicate after their expected UFC middleweight title fight. Addressing the coach embrace footage from UFC 290, Strickland wrote:
"Guarantee Izzy and Dricus are f**king after they fight.... The UFC is really starting to look like a pride commercial..."
Sean Strickland's UFC career has seen him rise as a controversial figure in recent years
American MMA stalwart Sean Strickland made his professional MMA debut in March 2008. His UFC promotional debut came in March 2014. Strickland boasts an MMA record of 27 victories and 5 defeats.
He's competed at welterweight, middleweight, and light heavyweight in the UFC. After an injury hiatus of about two years, Strickland returned to MMA competition in October 2020 with a new outspoken persona.
Ever since his comeback, Sean Strickland has achieved considerable success in his MMA performances, whilst also gaining significant notoriety for his trash talk outside the octagon. 'Tarzan' has consistently criticized people with political views that differ from his, besides also taking racist jabs at people from other countries.
Regardless, the No. 7-ranked UFC middleweight is on a two-fight win streak and has been trying to work his way back to the upper echelons of his division moving forward. His next opponent and comeback date haven't been officially announced as of yet.
