Sean Strickland Recent Attempt at Controversy Falls Flat with Fried Chicken Fiasco
UFC athlete Sean Strickland has once again attempted to spark controversy with a racially charged social media post. The former UFC middleweight champion shared a video of himself trying Popeyes fried chicken, making remarks that some have criticized as perpetuating racial stereotypes.
Sean Strickland Barely Gets Backlash
In the video in which he recorded himself eating chicken, Strickland said, “Time to experience what a Black man experiences… Alright, that’s some damn good chicken. I might be a chicken believer.” The post barely drew backlash online instead it fell flat. Critics barely labelled his comments as insensitive or racially inappropriate. The post was scarcely noticed despite Sean Strickland posting multiple Tweets.
Here is the video Sean Strickland filmed of himself for social media:
Sean Strickland’s history of controversial statements and actions has been well-documented. He has openly admitted to a troubled past that included a “weird neo-Nazi, white supremacist phase,” influenced by his grandfather and the film American History X. During his youth, Strickland was expelled from school for hate crimes, though he later claimed that martial arts helped him abandon those beliefs and reevaluate his views.
“Nina listen you’re married to a black man.. You get to experience chicken everyday. I’m a white man from socal…. We had in and out.. but i am now a man of chicken.”
Despite this personal transformation, Strickland has continued to make inflammatory remarks about various marginalized groups, including Muslims, Jewish people, and the LGBTQ+ community. Typically, though, it draws more engagement.
The fried chicken attempt to create engagement marks another low point in Strickland’s career fresh off losing his UFC title bid to Dricus du Plessis. Since losing the UFC title, he scraped by a decision against the largely inactive and winless Paulo Costa. Then dropped a boring decision to du Plessis in which his own coach commented that Strickland seemed asleep.
According to Google Trends, searches for Sean Strickland are at an all-time low. Additionally, he continues to lose followers on X. The attempt to stir controversy using racism did not succeed.
His social media posts often try to veer into controversial territory, such as dismissing fried chicken as overrated before later declaring himself a “believer” after trying it. While some fans found the video humorous, others viewed it as yet another example of Strickland’s attempts to stir up controversy for attention.
