What’s the Deal with Kyle Rittenhouse and Sean Strickland Hanging Out?
Former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland sparked a confrontation with MMA fans and longtime training partner Chris Curtis after inviting Kyle Rittenhouse to their shared gym, Xtreme Couture, in Las Vegas on January 22, 2026.
Kyle Rittenhouse and Sean Strickland
Video footage shared by Jake Shields shows Strickland introducing Rittenhouse to fighters at the gym, calling him “this dorky motherf**ker” who “shot the hippies” and “the pedophiles”. The visit appeared to be a social call rather than a training session, with Strickland treating the 23-year-old as a guest.
Sean Strickland brought Kyle Rittenhouse to the gym and Chris Curtis was not happy about it
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Curtis immediately confronted Strickland in the video, visibly upset about the surprise visit. “Why would you invite this guy? Fk this guy,” Curtis said. He continued, “He is innocent, the same way Bill Cosby is innocent. Bro, why would you do this? This is my f**king home, bro. I would never disrespect you like that.”
Rittenhouse remains a polarizing figure after fatally shooting two men and wounding another during protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on August 25, 2020, when he was 17 years old. He was acquitted on all charges in November 2021 after a jury accepted his self-defense claim.
After the confrontation, Strickland posted on X attempting to explain his actions. “Kyle Rittenhouse is a dorky white kid who was hanging out with a bunch of OLDER WEIRDOS, who wanted to be military larpers,” he wrote. He added, “Curt is a good man. I didn’t think Curt would care, but that being said, I truly can’t fault him for his reaction when I think about it”.
Jake Shields, who shared the original video, is a former MMA fighter who has become a far-right political activist with a documented history of antisemitic rhetoric and Holocaust denial. The Anti-Defamation League describes him as an “antisemitic conspiracy theorist” who has platformed white nationalists including former KKK leader David Duke and America First founder Nick Fuentes.
Strickland, known for controversial public statements on topics ranging from LGBTQ rights to women’s roles in society, has built a reputation as one of the UFC’s most provocative personalities. Despite defending fighters’ free speech rights, UFC president Dana White has called some of Strickland’s statements “beyond disgusting” while declining to impose penalties.
