Mixed martial arts fighter Sean Strickland went on a bigoted rant Wednesday during a UFC media day event in which he called Bad Bunny “shit” and said women are “too empowered” to the point of “ruining society.”
Strickland attended UFC media day to promote his fight with Anthony Hernandez, which will air on Paramount+ on Saturday night. The fight will be Strickland’s first since he was suspended by the UFC in July 2025 for attacking another fighter while serving as a cornerman during an event.
Paramount+ did not immediately respond to Variety’s request for comment. UFC representatives did not respond to requests for comment.
When asked about the upcoming Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano MMA bout on Netflix, Strickland called the event an “insane” idea and suggested they should fight “half-naked.” He then joked about Rousey’s abusive relationship with her ex-boyfriend.
“Ronda Rousey can fight,” Strickland said. “That woman can fight…I think she fought her ex-boyfriend a few times and lost, but women can fight.”
He added of Carano: “I like Gina. She’s a very conservative person. She was hot. When she was fighting, I felt like a child. I may have masturbated her once or twice in the past.”
The former UFC middleweight champion went on to say, “Nobody cares about women’s sports.” She added: “There’s nothing wrong with women. Women do great work. They cook, they clean.”
In subsequent comments about the NFL, Strickland called Super Bowl I halftime performer Bad Bunny a “shithole” and lamented the days when the National Football League was a “shithole’s shitty standard.”
“I think they gather around the table and say, ‘How do you ruin this sport? How do you make it better?'” Strickland said, mocking NFL leadership. “‘Why don’t we bring in a gay foreigner who doesn’t even speak English and have him perform[the halftime show]?”
In August 2025, Paramount signed a seven-year agreement with TKO Group, making Paramount+ the exclusive venue for all UFC events in the United States. The contracts have an average annual value of $1.1 billion and a total value of $7.7 billion.
