Tag: Sean Strickland

Ex-UFC champion calls out Sean Strickland for ducking $1 million sparring challenge with Jake Paul

Sean StricklandTyron Woodley is calling bullsh*t on Sean Strickland’s claim that the UFC blocked him from accepting Jake Paul’s million-dollar…

Sean Strickland

Tyron Woodley is calling bullsh*t on Sean Strickland’s claim that the UFC blocked him from accepting Jake Paul’s million-dollar sparring challenge.

After footage emerged online of the former middleweight champion pummeling popular Rumble streamer Sneako in an early morning sparring session ahead of Super Bowl Sunday, ‘The Problem Child’ issued a challenge to Strickland, offering him $1 million if he flies out to Puerto Rico for a session of their own.

“I’ll fly you to PR and we can fight on camera… if you win I’ll give you $1 million,” Paul wrote on X.

Strickland responded with a quasi-death threat online before claiming that Hunter Campbell — the UFC’s chief business officer — blocked him from accepting the offer.

However, ex-welterweight champ and two-time Jake Paul opponent Tyron Woodley is calling cap, claiming that the UFC can’t legally prevent Strickland from sparring with the YouTuber-turned-boxer.

‘’Why the f*ck you asked Hunter? You asked your daddy if you can fight,” Woodley said on YouTube. “You don’t have to ask nobody if you can fight. That just sounds like a hater move off the top. When you hear that … when you gotta smash somebody down before they give you the reason why they can’t fight, you already can hear it’s a hater move. Let me break some stuff down to you legally. Legally, they cannot stop him from sparring Jake Paul.”

“Jake Paul said he wanted to spar him the same way Sneako walked into the cage,” Woodley continued. “I want you to know [Sneako] had to walk through security, he had to be signed in on the list. I know that, that’s the APEX. They let him come in there. He can spar with anyone he wants to. Jake Paul didn’t say, come and meet me in f*cking arena or come and meet me in a sanctioned fight. He said come to my gym. Nobody can stop him from doing that” (h/t MMA Mania).

While it is true that the UFC can’t legally prevent Strickland from sparring with anyone willing to sign a waiver, the complication likely comes from the $1 million offer.

Andrew Tate has no interest in sparring ex-UFC champion Sean Strickland: ‘I’m already in a fight’

Andrew Tate declines Sean StricklandControversial influencer Andrew Tate has more important things to do than throw hands with UFC star Sean Strickland. Ahead…

Andrew Tate declines Sean Strickland

Controversial influencer Andrew Tate has more important things to do than throw hands with UFC star Sean Strickland.

Ahead of his shocking upset against Israel Adesanya last year, Strickland absolutely shredded Tate, calling the former kickboxing world champion a “con artist” after Tate allegedly pretended to be a webcam model to scam unsuspecting men out of their money.

“Here’s the thing about Andrew Tate, as young men I could see why you guys look up to him because you are moralless men,” Strickland said on the Full Send podcast. “You have no values, you have no positive male role models. So, you latch onto a piece of sh*t like Tate, who has money, who has women.

“To see the way he talked with no remorse, it wasn’t, ‘You know what, man? I did something so morally wrong. I took advantage of men, I took money from men,’ it was like, ‘No, f*ck them. I’m a con artist, I’m a piece of sh*t.’ So, Andrew Tate, you guys, if you want to look up to a guy, look up to a guy like Jordan Peterson. He understands masculinity, honesty, how to be a f*cking man, but I’m telling you, Andrew Tate, he’s not your messiah. He would turn you out for a dollar. He’s a f*cking pimp, he’s a whore” (h/t MMA Knockout).

Andrew Tate has more important matters to tend to

As is usually the case with people Strickland doesn’t like, ‘Tarzan’ laid down a challenge, inviting Tate to come spar with him. Tate recently responded to the ex-middleweight champ’s offer, noting that he has more important things to handle at the moment.

“Everyone’s trying to drag me into a fight all the time,” Tate said in a video via the Big G Club YouTube channel. “I could spar. I could fight and make 10 to 20 million, or whatever. It’s not worth my time, but that’s the money that would be generated. I don’t think they understand. If they actually paid any attention to the life I’m living or the things I’ve just said, I’m already in a fight.

“When you’re fighting a guy on the street, you don’t ask some other random halfway through, ‘Hey, you wanna fight?’ I’m in a fight and I don’t think the fight is going to end anytime soon and I have very little interest in trying to do any other kind of fights for entertainment. I think my fight is larger and bigger than some stupid boxing match or sparring competition to get views on the internet.”

The “fight” that Tate mentions is likely a reference to his 2023 indictment on a slew of charges, including rape, human trafficking, and forming an organized crime group to sexually exploit women. Tate and three other individuals — including his brother — were arrested in December 2022 amid an investigation claiming that he had lured in women by promising them a romantic relationship and then forced them to create explicit content for websites.

Tate and his brother were released from custody three months later and placed under house arrest, which expired in August 2023. The investigation is ongoing and it will likely be years before Tate faces trial.

UFC champ Sean O’Malley was not cool with Sean Strickland’s treatment of Sneako: ‘He was trying to hurt him’

Sean O'MalleySean O’Malley was not a fan of the liberties Sean Strickland took with Sneako during their early-morning sparring session…

Sean O'Malley

Sean O’Malley was not a fan of the liberties Sean Strickland took with Sneako during their early-morning sparring session last week.

Ahead of Super Bowl weekend, footage emerged online of the former middleweight world champion bloodying the controversial Rumble streamer during an intense interaction at a Las Vegas gym. In the video — which you can see right here — Strickland repeatedly blasts the influencer with strikes long after Sneako’s corner threw in the towel.

In the end, it was UFC Hall of Famer Forrest Griffin who stepped in and physically stopped Strickland from continuing the onslaught.

Sharing his take on the incident during a recent episode of his TimboSugarShow podcast with longtime coach Tim Welch, O’Malley slammed Strickland for clearly trying to hurt Sneako long after it became clear that he had given himself up.

“I thought it was f*cked up,” O’Malley said. “His corner threw in the towel. If someone came in here and wanted me to f*cking peck around with him because I’m a professional champ and they want to get a little taste of what it’s like, I’m not gonna — did you see how hard he was trying to hurt him?

“I’m a professional fighter, he’s a professional fighter — they threw in the towel, he clearly quit, he clearly was balling up and [Strickland] was still trying to hurt him. I don’t know [if it was good for Sneako].”

However, Sean O’Malley does believe there is one exception that could justify Strickland’s battering of Sneako.

“I’ve never liked hurting people,” O’Malley said. “If Sneako was talking sh*t at all then it 100 percent changes it. If someone is talking sh*t then they want to come in and want to spar and I agree then it’s different. It depends if Sneako was talking sh*t acting like he could do something then it makes it 100 percent okay to whoop his ass a little bit.”

‘Sugar’ is scheduled to make his first bantamweight title defense on Saturday, March 9 when he runs back his 2020 clash with Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera at UFC 299 in Miami. Vera is the only fighter to hold a victory over O’Malley inside the Octagon.

UFC blocks ex-champ Sean Strickland from accepting Jake Paul’s $1 million challenge: ‘I’ll do it for free’

Sean Strickland barred from fighting Jake PaulThe UFC stopped Sean Strickland from accepting Jake Paul’s $1 million challenge to fight him in Puerto Rico. Paul…

Sean Strickland barred from fighting Jake Paul

The UFC stopped Sean Strickland from accepting Jake Paul’s $1 million challenge to fight him in Puerto Rico.

Paul laid down the offer after footage of the former middleweight world champion pummeling Rumble streamer Sneako spread across social media. ‘The Problem Child’ dubbed Strickland a “bully” and delivered the challenge on X. Unsurprisingly, ‘Tarzan’ responded with a quasi-death threat, but as it turns out, Strickland actually reached out to the UFC to see if he could get the go-ahead.

“So Jake Paul offered me a million dollars, knowing it is impossible for me to do that,” Strickland explained on his YouTube channel. “I actually talked to [UFC Chief Business Officer] Hunter [Campbell], and I was like ‘Hunter, I will fight this man. You let Conor McGregor fight [Floyd] Mayweather, this is an easier fight, easier money, can I do that?’

“Hunter explained to me that [Paul] sells no fights. When they have fights, they give away tickets. He doesn’t make money. His target audience is children. They don’t buy pay-per-views.

“So a little depressing, because I thought to myself, you know what? I’ll take a payday beating up this f*cking man. That sounds easy enough. But sadly, Jake Paul is an influencer. He sells to children. Children don’t buy pay-per-views. F*ck, I don’t know man, get some adults to follow you, and then we will fight.”

UFC contracts are known to be quite restrictive, requiring fighters to get permission for any type of combat sports-related activities that occur outside of the Octagon. As a result, Strickland offered Paul the option to meet mono-e-mono far away from the spotlights and grand stages.

“Here’s the thing Jake Paul, you clearly know I can’t fight you,” Strickland said. “We know this. The UFC knows this. We all know this, that me and you cannot fight. But what we can do — you can get in your fancy plane, you can fly your ass to Vegas, and we can have a little pow-wow. Because you know as well as I know what happens with that.

“I’ll do it for free. I don’t need a check. I don’t need to livestream it. I will do it for free, sir. So if that is something you want, you want to show everyone how big and hard that d*ck is, let me know when.”

With nothing to gain financially, don’t expect Jake Paul to accept Strickland’s offer. ‘Tarzan’ likely knows that, but it didn’t stop him from taking a parting shot at the YouTuber-turned-boxer.

“Jake Paul, I got knocked out by a world champion kickboxer — a two-time UFC champion,” Strickland said, referencing his past fight with Alex Pereira. “You got beat by a part-time boxer [Tommy Fury] you used to try and pad your record.

“You’re an embarrassment to yourself. You’re an embarrassment to me, and you’re an embarrassment to the world. Enjoy” (h/t MMA Fighting).

UFC 298’s Ian Garry has no time for online haters and keyboard warriors: ‘I’m gonna live my life and do the way I want’

Ian GarryDespite all the hateful messages he receives online, Ian Garry has yet to meet a single fight fan in…

Ian Garry

Despite all the hateful messages he receives online, Ian Garry has yet to meet a single fight fan in person who had anything negative to say about him.

On Saturday night, February 17, ‘The Future’ will return to the Octagon for a rescheduled showdown with fellow top-10 welterweight contender Geoff Neal after their first meeting at UFC 292 in August fell through. Leading up to their previously scheduled scrap, Garry drew the ire of fans and fighters alike after he was spotted sporting and selling t-shirts with Neal’s mugshot stemming from a 2021 arrest screen printed on the front.

Things seemed to snowball from there, particularly after former middleweight champion Sean Strickland targeted Garry’s 40-year-old wife — Layla Anna-Lee — after discovering that she had once written a book for older women hoping to date young athletes and celebrities. Anna-Lee is 14 years older than Garry. That revelation prompted Strickland to call in a “predator” and a “succubus” in a series of scathing rants.

Fighters including Leon Edwards, Colby Covington, and even Michael Chandler continued to pour it on Garry, revealing the constant struggles of trying to work alongside the up-and-comer in the gym.

A quick social media search and a scan of recent headlines will immediately give you the impression that Ian Garry is one of the most hated men in all of MMA. But speaking with ESPN’s Marc Raimondi, ‘The Future’ revealed that the love and support he’s received from fight fans around the world has never been stronger.

“On Instagram and all of this stuff in the comments on Twitter,” Garry said. “All the negativity and all the hate, it’s only online. I’ve not met a single fan in person that has said one thing of hate. Not one. I’ve gone to Brazil. Different continents. I’ve gone to Europe. I’ve gone to America. South America. I’ve been recognized more than ever. I’ve been given the warmest welcomes more than ever. I can’t go down the street in the countryside in England in the middle of nowhere without someone going, ‘Holy sh*t!’

“We drove down California, there’s people here jumping out of cars trying to get a photo with me. This is nuts! I’m getting more recognized and more love in person than I ever have. It’s only online and it’s a small minority of people that hate and hate with such aggression. And the truth is, they’re all the Sean Strickland fans. They’re all the people that, truth is, they have a f*ck ton of trauma and nowhere else to spread it except online behind a laptop because they hate their life and they hate their past.

“I have no time for that. I love my life. I love what I’m surrounded by. I love the people I get to meet every day and that’s it. That’s what’s important to me. I’m gonna live my life and do the way I want to and have fun.”

Ian Garry vows to land grudge fight with Sean Strickland after UFC 298: ‘I’ll thump the mouth off of him’

Ian Garry vows to land fight with Sean Strickland after UFC 298 I'll thump the mouth off of himUnbeaten Irish striker, Ian Garry has vowed to “thump” the mouth off of former undisputed middleweight champion, Sean Strickland…

Ian Garry vows to land fight with Sean Strickland after UFC 298 I'll thump the mouth off of him

Unbeaten Irish striker, Ian Garry has vowed to “thump” the mouth off of former undisputed middleweight champion, Sean Strickland in the future – ahead of his UFC 298 return against Geoff Neal this weekend in Anaheim.

Garry, the current number ten ranked welterweight contender, has been sidelined since last August, most recently featuring on the main card of UFC 292 in Boston, turning in a one-sided decision win over the division’s most-winningest fighter, Neil Magny.

And booking a rescheduled pairing with Neal at UFC 298 this weekend, a prolonged battle with pneumonia resulted in Portmarnock native, Garry’s withdrawal from a December fight with Kill Cliff FC training partner, Vicente Luque at UFC 296. 

Taking his unbeaten talents to Brazil ahead of his return at UFC 298, Garry has linked with up with undisputed lightweight champion, Charles Oliviera at Chute Boxe under Diego Lima in another switch up of camp.

Ian Garry hits out at rival, Sean Strickland

And sharing his thoughts on his ongoing rivalry with ex-champion, Strickland, Garry vows to fight the former middleweight titleholder in the future, claiming he would handily beat the outspoken American if they share the Octagon together.

“Here’s the thing – here’s the two things that I’ll point out to you,” Ian Garry told assembled media during his UFC 298 media day availability. “My wife was called a p*dophile by Sean Strickland. No woman ever deserves to be called that, right? That’s the truth. My son – the people that follow Sean Strickland commented on a couple of my photos at the very start of all this hate, saying, ‘Is the kid even his?’”

“…And I’ll get mine back – I’ll thump the f*cking mouth off Sean Strickland one day,” Ian Garry explained. “And there’ll be nothing he can do about it. And I’ll talk to him, I’ll dance in his face – I do whatever I want. Because the truth is, when we get locked into that cage one, he’s never gonna be able to deal with me.” 

Who wins in a future fight: Sean Strickland or Ian Garry?