Sean Strickland may be apologetic, regretful, or completely unfazed—it’s hard to tell. Yesterday, the UFC middleweight champion posted a cryptic message on social media following intense backlash online for his usage of a racial slur on commentary during Adin Ross’ Brand Risk 14 combat event on Saturday.

“Caption what you think Sean Strickland is thinking here,” wrote Nina Drama on  X. 

She attached a picture of herself with Sean Strickland, who appeared to be lost in thought. The image was from the same Brand Risk event at UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Before most fans could share their entries, Strickland himself chimed in to share a 7-word message of his own. 

“How do I get my dignity back,” he wrote.

The comment that triggered the backlash occurred during a fight between No Neck Jay and Shane Chance. When Chance locked in an arm submission attempt, someone yelled out, “Tap n—a!”

For some reason, Strickland decided to repeat the slur.

“Tap n—a, I like that,” Strickland blurted out.

This received obvious gasps from the rest of the commentary table, which included Adin Ross, Arman Tsarukyan, Nina Drama, and Tekashi 6ix9ine, who were shocked by what Strickland had said.

While the moment faded away as the group moved their attention to the fight, once the clip from the incident made its way online, intense backlash and condemnation began pouring in from all sides. Many called the UFC middleweight champion racist for using the slur.

While he has yet to address the row directly, this isn’t the first instance where Strickland has been blasted for purported racism.

Sean Strickland on his controversial past

Not too long ago, he shared an AI-generated image of himself as an ICE agent with his then-opponent, Anthony Hernandez, stereotyped in a sombrero and poncho. ‘Tarzan’ has in the past referred to Chinese people as “animals” and “savages”, saying they are “the worst tourists in the world”.

In October 2021, Strickland addressed a darker period from his past in an interview with MMA Fighting, revealing that he went through a neo-Nazi and white supremacist phase as a teenager, one that resulted in being expelled from school.

“I was really f–king angry,” he told MMA Fighting. “I actually went through this weird neo-Nazi, white supremacist phase when I was younger, and I got kicked out of school for hate crimes.”

Strickland also pointed to his grandfather as a major influence during those years, saying he adopted racist beliefs before truly understanding how bad they were.

“You’re in seventh grade spouting off about Nais, you don’t even know what the f—k that means. But you hear it from someone you look up to, and that identity consumed me.”

Sean Strickland said at the time that he had rejected those beliefs and resented the influences that had shaped them. However, his comments at Brand Risk 14 and his response afterward leave the sincerity of that rejection open to interpretation.