Sean Strickland sparked criticism on January 15 when he posted a doctored picture of himself as an ICE officer reverse his upcoming opponent, Anthony Hernandez, who appeared in typical Mexican apparel. The UFC middleweight shared the Photoshopped poster on Instagram with no caption, however wrote to X: “If you cannot snigger at this, you are responsible. Go away.”
Sean Strickland – ICE agent controversy
The submit comes per week after Strickland commented on the Jan. 8 capturing loss of life of Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mom of three, who was killed by ICE brokers in Minneapolis. Strickland countered that the capturing was legally justified however morally unsuitable. Strickland added that he personally wouldn’t have shot the girl and would have moved her out of the way in which.
Fan reactions to the Photoshopped match poster have been sharply divided throughout social media platforms. One X consumer advised Strickland to “put your ego apart and be thoughtful of others,” whereas one other referred to as the submit “an embarrassing pile of shit.” The picture was launched simply days after the Minneapolis capturing and amid an escalation of ICE enforcement, sparking a backlash.
Social media reactions to Strickland’s submit have been broadly divided between condemnation and protection. On X, one consumer wrote: “A lady obtained shot within the face and also you suppose that is humorous?!?! ICE is ripping her cheek to cheek and also you suppose that is humorous?”
In the meantime, one other individual countered: “I imply, it is not humorous. I’ve a darkish sense of humour.” The submit obtained greater than 2,000 feedback inside hours, with many followers noting Strickland’s sample of provocative content material.
The controversy additional intensified when UFC officers revealed that Hernandez questioned his request to signify Mexico throughout combat week and requested to see his grandparents’ beginning certificates to show his eligibility for Mexican-themed gear.
Strickland will face Hernandez within the five-round essential occasion of UFC Battle Night time on February twenty first on the Toyota Heart in Houston. This match will function a middleweight title eliminator. Hernandez, nicknamed “Fluffy,” is on an eight-fight successful streak on this contest, with current wins over Edmen Shahbazyan, Brendan Allen and Roman Dolidze. The 32-year-old title favourite was scheduled to face Reinier de Ridder in October, however withdrew as a consequence of harm.
The previous champion is coming back from a suspension from the Nevada State Athletic Fee for coming into the cage and trying to assault a fighter throughout a regional occasion in Las Vegas. Strickland misplaced his middleweight title to Doricus du Plessis in 2025 and withdrew from the rematch at UFC 312.
Strickland’s newest submit provides to an extended file of inflammatory statements which have drawn criticism from LGBTQ+ teams, ladies’s rights teams and the media in a number of international locations. Talking in Toronto forward of UFC 297, he responded to a query a few previous tweet wherein he mentioned he would have “failed as a person to create such weak spot” if he had a homosexual son, referred to as reporter Alexander Okay. Lee a “weak piece of shit” and an “infectious illness,” and blamed “individuals such as you” and fellow LGBTQ+ individuals for “the whole lot unsuitable with the world.”
After defeating Abs Magomedov in 2023, he went on a misogynistic rant about ladies’s development within the workforce, saying society ought to “put ladies again within the kitchen” so males can earn the family wage.
This incident suits into the sample of Strickland’s controversial public statements. Strickland additionally criticized Australia’s gun legal guidelines throughout the UFC 312 press tour, calling Australians “British white trash.” UFC President Dana White has constantly defended fighters’ proper to free speech, saying the UFC is not going to penalize athletes for controversial statements.
