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UFC homophobe Sean Strickland too chicken to look gay champion in the face after anti-LGBTQ tirade

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Sean Strickland in a white t-shirt with a championship belt.

UFC fighter Sean Strickland talked a big homophobic game a couple of weeks ago, attacking a reporter who asked him whether he still thinks having a gay son would mean he’s failed as a man.

But when it came time to face an actual out gay MMA fighter, Strickland turtled.

UFC champion Raquel Pennington, who won the Bantamweight title when she defeated fellow out LGBTQ+ fighter Mayra Bueno Silva in the co-main event of UFC 297, was sharing the card with Strickland that weekend. That means she ran into him backstage…multiple times.

Each time, she says Strickland turned away.

It looks like the big, tough fighter can’t back up his words.

“Every time he came around, we both turned the other direction,” she said in an interview with the MMA Hour. “I stared at him a couple times, and he would just turn the other direction.”

In the lead-up to UFC 297, Strickland went on the most anti-LGBTQ+ rant we’ve ever heard from a pro athlete. When an MMA reporter inquired about his past homophobic comments, he exploded.

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“You’re part of the problem. Go f*ck yourself!” Strickland shouted. “Everything that is wrong with the world is because of f*cking you.”

He proceeded to attack transgender people.

“Here’s the thing about Bud Light, 10 years ago, to be trans was a mental f*cking illness,” he said. “And now, all of a sudden, people like you have f*cking weaseled your way in the world. You are an infection. You are the definition of weakness. Everything that is wrong with the world is because of f*cking you.”

The fighter continued, “The world’s saying, ‘No, there are two genders. I don’t want my kids being taught about who they could f*ck in school. I don’t want my kids being taught about their sexual preference.’”

UFC head Dana White defended Strickland’s right to be hateful, telling reporters he “doesn’t put leashes” on his talent.

ESPN, UFC’s broadcast partner for the event, was also silent.

But in a karmic twist, Strickland lost his middleweight title in the main event, right after Pennington won her belt.

It was the first championship win of her UFC career, culminating a five-year journey.

“It’s been a long five years getting back to this,” she said. “Mayra is tough. I have climbed mountains to get back here.”

Pennington lives a proud and open life, married to fellow UFC fighter Tecia Pennington. It’s apparent their young daughter is the love of her life.

This is the kind of family that Strickland rejects, by the way.

Please.

We have to admit, championship gold is a nice edition to Raquel’s family photos.

“Never let your mind set limits for yourself and always reach for the stars,” she posted recently on Instagram. “My absolute favorite thing is inspiring the younger generation.”

Pennington is part of an inspiring group of out female LGBTQ+ MMA fighters. Amanda Nunes, the last out LGBTQ+ person to hold the Bantamweight crown, retired as one of the greatest competitors of all time.

Out LGBTQ+ fighter Jessica Andrade also owns 16 wins in the UFC, second on the all-time list for queer female fighters.

Fallon Fox, meanwhile, became the first out transgender fighter in UFC history in 2013.

The men, however, are far behind. There is one out fighter in UFC, Jeff Molina.

He came out as bisexual last year following a video leak.

Strickland may not be man enough to address Pennington, but she’s definitely not afraid of him.

“What you do with your life doesn’t affect me. I just think it was disgusting on his part to even be concerned about us as human beings and our lifestyle, and just the comments he was making,” she said in the interview with MMA Hour.

During the interview, Pennington wore a hat with her initials in rainbow colors.

We’re still waiting on Strickland’s response…

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