Sean Strickland is once again facing backlash online after using a racial slur during a livestream while commentating on Adin Ross’ Brand Risk event this weekend. The incident occurred during the Brand Risk 14 fight between No Neck Jay and Shane Chance at UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

During a grappling exchange in which Chance locked up an arm submission attempt, ‘Tarzan’ dropped the N-word in response to another commentator screaming the racial slur.

“Tap n—-!” remarked one of the commentators.

“Tap n—-, I like that,” Sean Strickland replied laughingly.

What made the situation even more awkward was that no one on the commentary desk seemed to have heard Strickland saying the N-word, or maybe they simply chose not to react. So when Adin Ross, Nina Drama, and Arman Tsarukyan continued as usual, some fans believed they either missed the comment or opted not to acknowledge it in real time. However, that did not stop the backlash from coming towards Sean Strickland online.

Fans online immediately caught it, and the backlash spread quickly across social media. One user went straight for the insults, as he wrote, “Dude is a clown. I don’t understand why black people show up to this s— if Adin allows racist s— like this.”

Some accused ‘Tarzan’ of once again blurring the line between “controversial” and outright offensive. One fan wrote, “That’s not ‘edgy commentary’; it’s just disrespect. Big platforms should set standards, not normalize slurs for shock value or clicks.” Another added, “Bruh… some things should just never leave your mouth 😬 smh.”

More chimed in to call out the reigning UFC middleweight champion with comments such as “He couldn’t wait to say it LIVE” and “He’s been a racist POS.” This fan even wanted Kevin Hart to share his funny take on it: “Kevin Hart, roast this & bet ufc don’t do nothing.. It’s going to get ugly soon.”

The controversy also reignited long-standing criticism that has followed Sean Strickland. Ahead of his recent title fight against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 328, ‘Tarzan’ had already been accused of racist behavior for constantly targeting ‘Borz’ and his Chechen heritage.

“I’mma pull my gun out. I’m going to shoot him,” Strickland said in the media scrum when detailing what he’d do if they met on the street. “That being said, if Chimaev were to come up to me as a gentleman and say, ‘Hey you know what, you said some things, you insulted my wife. I actually love sheep. It’s crazy.’ Then I would be like, ‘I love goats, dude. You know, goat tastes good.’

“He loves goats, we have that in common. I just don’t f— them. Anyways, if you were to come up to me like a man, say, ‘You know, Sean, you said some things about my dad [Ramzan] Kadyrov.’ I’m like, ‘Well you know what, dude, you w—– yourself out, not me.’ I would say, ‘Let’s settle this like a man.’ But if you come up to me with three f—– goat f—– Chechnyans that don’t speak English, I’m going to pull my gun, and I’m going to shoot each and every one of you.”

Although the two later reconciled and looked to have resolved their feud, the backlash over Sean Strickland’s racist comments never disappeared. ‘Tarzan’ has himself confessed in the past that he became associated with neo-Nazi ideologies as a teenager because of influences from his upbringing and grandfather.

Earlier this year, in February, clips also circulated online showing him using the N-word in separate videos, which only intensified criticism surrounding the UFC middleweight champion. Ironically, the controversy overshadowed the fight itself, in which No Neck Jay defeated Shane Chance via second-round knockout.

Instead of people discussing the fights, most people focused on Sean Strickland’s commentary and the backlash that followed almost immediately online. It would be interesting to see how UFC CEO Dana White reacts to it as well because the night only got problematic for the head honcho, not just because of what Sean Strickland said, but also for losing a $10,000 bet.

Adin Ross’ Brand Risk 14 only got worse for Dana White after Sean Strickland’s controversy

Things only got rougher for Dana White later in the night, after Sean Strickland’s controversial comments were followed by the UFC CEO losing a $10,000 bet during the main event between internet personality Bob Menery and former NFL quarterback Johnny Manziel.

Dana White had openly mocked Menery on the livestream as he later joined that commentary team, sitting beside Adin Ross and UFC CBO Hunter Campbell.

As Dana White joked about the stories of Menery being kicked out of a hotel for being drunk the morning of the fight, the 38-year-old walked out to the ring, which reportedly cost the UFC boss $10,000 due to a bet he placed earlier on whether the social media star would even show up and compete.

The fight itself quickly turned ugly. Manziel looked much bigger physically and immediately attacked Bob Menery with heavy kicks before taking things to the ground after a lengthy scramble. Menery tried to survive underneath and gained some momentum, but once Manziel reached full mount, the finish came quickly.

The referee stepped in during ground-and-pound late in the opening round, despite many of the punches not looking especially damaging. And once the bell rang, neither fighter looked particularly interested in running it back again. And even if the feud continued, by then the attention surrounding Brand Risk 14 had already shifted far away from the actual fights and toward everything else happening around them.