“Drugs were for Black People:” Sean Strickland on Why Racism Stopped Him From Doing Drugs
UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland said racism instilled by his grandfather shaped his childhood view that “drugs were for Black people,” a belief he says contributed to him avoiding alcohol and drugs. The comments came during an appearance on the Shawn Ryan Show, where Strickland spoke about his family, his father and his early exposure to racist ideas.
Sean Strickland recalls racist beliefs behind abstinence from drugs
The US-born UFC champion began by questioning the legal status of alcohol while describing himself as a libertarian. “It’s wild that alcohol is legal in America. I’m a libertarian, I think you should go buy meth if you want to buy meth, but, man, it is so wild,” he said.
The UFC champion said he has never drunk alcohol and linked that choice to both his relationship with his father and the racist environment around him while growing up. “I’ve never drank. One of the things that saved me from drinking and doing drugs was that my grandfather was so racist,” Strickland said.
He referenced “American History X,” the 1998 film centered on a former neo-Nazi attempting to stop his younger brother following the same path. The film explores the influence of racist family beliefs, white-supremacist organizing and a character’s shift after prison.
“Even in American History X, there’s a scene where they get mad at them for doing drugs,” Strickland continued. “So I always thought drinking and drugs, well, one, it reminded me of my dad, which I hated. Then it was reinforced because I thought drugs were for black people, so I never did it.”
Strickland framed the admission as an account of what he believed as a child rather than an endorsement of the stereotype. He added: “So that was, like, my racism. I always say, if there was a devil, man, he’s always helped me.”
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The remarks add to a long record of the US-born athlete making blunt and controversial public comments. His latest interview was posted in late July, while he is the UFC middleweight champion; he became a two-time titleholder in May after defeating Khamzat Chimaev.
Strickland’s account centers on an uncomfortable contradiction as he says a harmful belief helped create a personal aversion to substances, yet it was still rooted in racism.
