Sean
O’Malley believes the
UFC, by itself, doesn’t want to restrict speech in any
way.
Sean
Strickland knocked out Anthony
Hernandez in the third-round of their
UFC Houston headliner last Saturday. Known for his
controversial and unhinged opinions, fans were eagerly waiting for
Strickland’s post-fight press conference. The former UFC
middleweight champion met the expectations by accusing Hernandez’s
coach, Jim West, of grooming former UFC fighter Aspen Ladd.
However, Strickland’s mic was muted soon after, and the press
conference abruptly ended.
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O’Malley believes the UFC’s new Paramount deal is responsible for
Strickland’s presser getting cut short. During the ESPN era, UFC
numbered events had to be purchased on a pay-per-view basis.
Meanwhile, the Fight Nights could be viewed on an ESPN+
subscription. O’Malley recalls that there was absolutely no
restriction on speech after numbered cards during the ESPN era.
However, fighters would be instructed to avoid cussing after Fight
Nights, which were broadcast on ESPN+. The ESPN era ended as the
UFC signed a $7.7 billion deal with Paramount, which came into
effect starting this year. Fans are now able to watch all UFC
events with a Paramount+ subscription. O’Malley believes there is
some censorship on speech as even numbered UFC events are broadcast
on Paramount.
New Protocol?
“This is Paramount, not pay-per-view,” O’Malley said. “On
pay-per-view, we were able to say f—k, we could say whatever we
want. The fight nights were on ESPN+, so they’re like, hey, don’t
cuss in your after-fight speech… [Now] even if it’s a numbered
event, we’re on Paramount. The UFC doesn’t really limit what we
say. $7.7 billion dollars – the UFC is probably like, ‘Oh,
Strickland has the mic.’”
Sean O’Malley says the UFC is being careful
with its $7.7B Paramount deal after Sean
Strickland’s mic was cut.„This is Paramount, not pay-per-view. On pay-per-view, we were able
to say f***, we could say whatever we want. The fight nights were
on ESPN+, so they’re like, hey,… pic.twitter.com/wjFcFkzj9W— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA)
February 24, 2026