Muslim UFC champ's Dricus du Plessis-esque remark about childhood abuse in response to Sean Strickland's anti-Islam take sparks mixed fan reactions

Sean Strickland recently shared an opinion on Islam and its compatibility with American values on social media, which didn't go down well with Belal Muhammad. Strickland claimed that America was founded on Christian values and was the "country of Christ" while having space for atheists.

Strickland outlined his personal opinions in a recent X post, revealing that he was an agnostic himself. He wrote:

"America is a country of Christ. You could be Christian, Catholic, or atheist, BUT our core values is that of Christ. I have nothing against Islam or Muslims. BUT!!!!!!!! Islam should stay in Islamic countries. Although you would all benefit from Christ. *I'm agnostic."

Soon after Strickland shared his take on Islam in the USA, Belal Muhammad responded to the former UFC middleweight champion's post with a fiery retort. The welterweight king referenced Strickland's childhood trauma in his response, in a way that would make Dricus du Plessis proud.

Reacting to Strickland's comments, Muhammad brought up the middleweight's childhood trauma regarding his father and wrote in an X post:

"Wasn’t this the guy crying because his Christian American dad used to touch him."

Fans soon flocked to Muhammad's X post and took to the comments section to express their thoughts on the matter:

One fan slammed Muhammad's retort and wrote:

"This comment says more about you than him, Belal."

Meanwhile, another fan defended Strickland and wrote:

"Damn, but what happened when he pressed you in person? You were real, real quiet. Why can’t you keep the same energy."

Check out some more reactions below:

Screenshots from @Bullyb170 on X

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Sean Strickland doubles down on his opinion about Islamic countries

This was not the first time Sean Strickland and Belal Muhammad locked horns regarding their opinions on social media. No love is lost between the two when it comes to religion and politics.

'Tarzan' previously made some controversial comments about the Israel-Palestine conflict, which didn't sit well with Muhammad. This resulted in them trading shots and insults on social media and in interviews while also teasing a potential fight.

Strickland's controversial opinions often enrage his fans as well, but he rarely refuses to back down.

Under Strickland's initial tweet, a fan posted a clip of him talking to Joe Rogan (JRE MMA Show #143) about Muslim fighter Albert Duraev, who trained at his gym, asking him to go easy on his comments about Islam due to his compatriots taking offense. Strickland defended his actions by claiming that Duraev's comment proves his point:

"I love Albert, I value him as a friend and a Muslim........ BUT, the fact he had to ask me to soften my stance because it made his life harder is why Islam is not compatible with America... I hope he is doing well in his Islamic country."