Sean Strickland labels the transgender community as "mentally ill" in risky statement on Bud Light-UFC partnership

Sean Strickland is arguably the most outspoken fighter on the UFC's roster and is widely known for unabashedly expressing his unfiltered takes on sensitive social issues online. The reigning middleweight champion recently shared his thoughts on the UFC's new multi-year sponsorship deal with Bud Light.

For context, Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev) and its popular Bud Light brand came under intense public scrutiny earlier this year after partnering with trans activist and social media personality Dylan Mulvaney. The company reportedly faced a widespread boycott of its products and sustained massive financial losses.

Sean Strickland recently took to X to address the UFC's new partnership and made some disparaging comments about gender dysphoria and transgender identities. 'Tarzan' initially asked his followers what they thought of the deal and wrote:

"Soooooooo what do you guys think about Bud Light? I just heard...... lol."

In a follow-up tweet, Sean Strickland responded to a fan pointing out that the middleweight champion would have to toe the company line going forward. Stating that society shouldn't normalize "mental illness" such as trans-sexuality, he wrote:

"Well, good point. Here's the thing, women are born, not made, transgenders are mentally ill, and society should never accept this as normal. Now Bud Light gives me money.. and I just said that... I've been saying it my entire career... so? What do they support?"

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Sean Strickland doesn't think that Khamzat Chimaev deserves a middleweight title shot

Sean Strickland recently dismissed the idea that Khamzat Chimaev deserves a title shot. Chimaev beat Kamaru Usman at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi and is expected to challenge 'Tarzan' for the 185-pound strap next.

While he was initially meant to face Paulo Costa, the Brazilian was forced to withdraw due to medical complications. Usman stepped in on short notice, and the UFC later confirmed that the fight was a title eliminator.

After three grueling rounds, Chimaev won via majority decision. However, Sean Strickland doesn't believe the Chechnya native's victory was decisive enough to warrant a title shot.

During an interview with UFC Fight Pass's Extra Rounds, Strickland pointed out that while Khamzat Chimaev was a big-money fight, he hasn't earned his championship opportunity. He said:

"The only thing I like about Chimaev is that he sells fights... To me, he’s a f****** paycheck. He sells a lot of fights. People pay to watch but he f****** hasn’t earned it. He doesn’t f****** deserve it but here we are... I’ll go f****** fight the man for five rounds... He doesn’t f****** deserve it and getting a decision with a welterweight off the couch does not f****** earning it.”