UFC fighter Sean Strickland went off on a reporter criticizing his stance on LGBTQ+ issues.
Strickland fielded questions during a press conference in promotion of his upcoming fight against Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 297 on Jan 20th.
During the press conference, one reporter noted there was a "impressive gay and lesbian community" in Toronto, Canada and referenced a late-2021 remark from the fighter in which Strickland said he would feel he had "failed as a man" if he had a gay son.
Strickland appeared amused by the question and interjected, pointing toward the reporter.
"Let me ask you something, are you gay?" Strickland asked, to which the reporter said he was an "ally of the community."
"If you had a son, and he was ... gay, you'd be like ... you don't want a grandkid?" the fighter followed up.
The reporter said he would have "no problem with it."
"Well you're a weak f---ing man, dude," Strickland responded. "You're part of the f---ing problem. You elected Justin Trudeau."
Strickland referenced Trudeau's decision to seize bank accounts of truckers protesting COVID-19 vaccine mandates in 2022.
"You're just f---ing pathetic," the fighter continued. "The fact that you have no f---ing backbone and as he shut down your f---ing country and seized bank accounts, you ask me some stupid s--- like that?"
"Go f--- yourself," Strickland added, giving the reporter the middle finger. "Move the f--- on, f---ing coward."
The reporter said he also wanted to ask the fighter about previous comments he had made about the trans community in regards to Bud Light's decision to sponsor the UFC after their sponsorship of TikTok influencer and transgender activist Dylan Mulvaney earlier last year.
"You said this past October, when they announced the Bud Light sponsorship, that you'd go so hard on Bud Light in your next fight that they'll have to accept me or denounce me ... and we'll know what they stand for," the reporter said though was cut off by Strickland.
Strickland said someone identifying as transgender a decade ago was seen as having a "mental f---ing illness."
"Now, all of a sudden, people like you have f---ing weaseled your way into the world," the fighter said, pointing at the reporter.
"You are an infection," Strickland said. "You are the definition of weakness. Everything that is wrong with the world is because of f---ing you."
Strickland said "the world's not buying it."
"The world's not buying your f---ing bulls--- you're f---ing peddling," he continued. "The world is not saying, 'you know what? You're right. F---ing chicks have dicks.'"
"The world's not saying that. The world's saying, 'no, there are two genders. I don't want my kids being taught about, you know, who they can f--- in school. I don't want my kids being taught about their sexual preference.'"
Strickland pointed towards the reporter and said "this guy is the f---ing enemy."
"You wanna look at the f---ing enemy to our world? It's that motherf---er right there," Strickland said.
