Sean Strickland has admitted that he was in the wrong.
The ex-middleweight titleholder returned to the Octagon in Houston on Saturday, ending a lengthy spell on the sidelines.
He defeated Anthony Hernandez in the main event, delivering a third-round knockout to push himself closer to another title shot.
The polarizing American contender’s victory unfolded before a crowd whose sentiments were clearly mixed. Their disapproval was vocalized during Friday’s weigh-ins, and Strickland was quick to respond in kind.
Sean Strickland admits fault after pre-UFC Houston comments upset Anthony Hernandez’s daughter
Strickland was met with boos during his final remarks before the fight at the UFC Houston ceremonial weigh-ins.
Standing alongside commentator Jon Anik, he took the microphone and delivered a pointed message to the crowd.
“Listen here, you motherf—ers. I know you guys, you might want your local Mexican to win. There’s nothing wrong with that.
“Let me tell you to ‘The Lone Star State’, there’s only one motherf—er who stands and bangs. Your f—ing guy wrestles. I fight more like a Mexican than that motherf—cker. F—k you,” the 34-year-old said.
Hernandez’s daughter was among the crowd that heard Strickland’s rant, which unfortunately prompted her to ask the surging middleweight contender difficult questions.
After the fight, ‘Fluffy’ spoke to Strickland about how those comments affected his child.
This time, the former champion did not stick to his usual stance of doubling down. Instead, he offered an apology to Hernandez and his daughter.
“I think he had a little bit more hate when I flipped off the crowd (at the ceremonial weigh-ins),” Strickland told Full Send MMA.
“After the fight, he came to me and was like, ‘Hey, you flipped off my seven-year-old daughter and she thinks you’re – you hate Mexicans.’ I was like, ‘Man…’
“I do kind of feel bad for that. It’s a hard thing to go back to your family when you’re bloody, and I’ve been there. So, my bad ‘Fluffy’.
“To the guys booing me, f— you, but to your daughter, sorry about that, I didn’t mean to. I feel bad about that.”
Sean Strickland was his usual outspoken self in Houston
Strickland rarely goes through a fight week without stirring up controversy, and UFC Houston was no exception.
The ex-middleweight champion found himself back in the headlines after criticising Bad Bunny and the NFL, directing a homophobic comment towards the Super Bowl halftime show.
He did not stop there. Strickland also criticised Ronda Rousey’s comeback against Gina Carano and accused the UFC of being “predatory” in its approach to fighter pay.
After the fight, Strickland’s microphone was cut during the press conference when he made allegations against Hernandez’s coach, Jim West.
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