Sean
Strickland believes his unhinged rants could be the only
impediment on the road to his next middleweight title shot.
Advertisement
Strickland dethroned Israel
Adesanya via unanimous decision at UFC 293 in September 2023 in
one of the biggest upsets in UFC history. Strickland’s short-lived
title reign came to an end via a split-decision loss to Dricus Du
Plessis at UFC 297 this past January. Strickland has since
bounced back with a split-decision win over Paulo Costa
last month, which many believe should have been scored unanimously
in favor of “Tarzan.”
Meanwhile, Du Plessis puts his title on the line against Adesanya
in the main event at UFC 305
on Aug. 17 in Perth, Australia. Strickland is now adamant on
fighting the winner of that bout next instead of a title eliminator
against Robert
Whittaker. “Bobby Knuckles” rebounded from a stoppage loss
against Du Plessis with a unanimous decision win over Costa
followed by a knockout over surging newcomer Ikram
Aliskerov in a short-notice matchup.
According to Strickland, Whittaker surpassing him for the title
shot would only indicate that the UFC doesn’t want him on a big
stage with a microphone.
“I mean it’s known,” he told told Shakiel Mahjouri. “Like, I’m next in line. It
ain’t Whittaker, it’s me… If they gave Robert the title shot guys,
it’s for one reason. It’s for one reason – they don’t want me
holding this [a mic] on main stage. I’m next in line dude. There’s
no argument in it, it is a f—-ing fact. If they give Whittaker the
title shot, it’s welcome to Bud Light.”
Strickland has gained notoriety for expressing his often
controversial opinions. For example, Strickland has previously said
he would consider himself a failed man if his son turned out to
be gay. The former middleweight champ also said that women belong in the kitchen and
it was mistake to grant them voting rights. Strickland also
didn’t hesitate to trash UFC sponsor Bud Light
for printing trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney on their cans last
year.