Australian State Government justifies multi-million dollar investment in UFC 293 despite Sean Strickland controversy

Controversial UFC fighter Sean Strickland recently blasted Australia's government, stating that Australians do not enjoy freedom of speech.

Strickland is scheduled to take on UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya in the headline bout of UFC 293 on September 10 at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia.

The 32-year-old American's visit to the land down under has been marred by controversies so far. 'Tarzan' asserted that he punched a man in the stomach in response to an insult directed at him earlier this week. Moreover, Strickland has once again attracted widespread attention by delivering a harsh critique of the Australian government during a media event in Sydney. He asserted that Aussies do not have the freedom to express themselves openly.

Check out Strickland's comments below:

Sean Strickland is notorious for his provocative statements. He often becomes the center of attention due to his unfiltered approach when discussing various subjects. Strickland recently posted on X (formerly Twitter):

"I'm in Sydney and I thought I'm going to be surrounded by dirty liberalS. Gay and trans flags everywhere... Literally zero.. maybe America is the problem lmao!"

According to a recent report from The Guardian, the New South Wales government is facing public scrutiny to explain why they allocated $16 million for UFC events. Prior to the election, Premier Chris Minns pledged this funding, vowing that the Labor party would host three UFC events in Sydney within a four-year period as part of an initiative to enhance tourism.

On Thursday, Minns defended the decision despite Sean Strickland's remarks:

"Those comments are absolutely appalling and they shouldn’t be tolerated at all. [But] similar to other sports ... one particular participant doesn’t mean that every supporter, or sports person in that arena, holds the same view. One fighter … shouldn’t tarnish all UFC fans."

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Sean Strickland wants to fight a Kangaroo in Australia

During the second episode of the UFC 293 Embedded: Vlog Series, Sean Strickland expressed that he plans to fight a kangaroo while in Australia:

"Australia man it's a trip dude. It's wild it's it's awesome. I'm still trying to find a kangaroo to fight you guys. Yet to find one but if I ever do, I promise to square up to it for ya'll. I mean you know it's fu*king cool though."