Dricus Du Plessis UFC opponent’s shocking anti-LGBTIQ+ rant

Sean Strickland, the man beaten by South Africa’s Dricus Du Plessis in the weekend’s UFC middleweight championship bout, has been revealed to be an unrepentant queerphobe. Du Plessis, on the other hand, has calmly brushed off rumours about his sexuality.

Du Plessis, 30, made history by becoming the first South African to win an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) belt on Sunday in Toronto, Canada after narrowly defeating his American opponent.

However, ahead of the fight, Strickland, 32, sparked a backlash after an aggressive expletive-laden anti-LGBTIQ+ tirade during a press conference on 17 January.

Journalist Alexander Lee asked Strickland at the media event about a 2021 social media comment in which he stated that if he had a gay son he would have “failed as a man”.

Strickland’s Foul-Mouthed Diatribe

Strickland responded by attacking Lee, a self-described LGBTIQ+ ally, calling him a “weak f***ing man” and “part of the f***ing problem”.

The mixed martial artist also slammed Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, a supporter of LGBTIQ+ rights, and addressed last year’s right-wing anti-trans boycott of American beer brand Bud Light.

“Ten years ago, to be trans was a mental f***ing illness, and now all of the sudden people like you f***ing weaselled your way into the world… You are an infection, you are the definition of weakness. Everything that is wrong with the world is because of f***ing you! And the world’s not buying your f***ing bullsh*t you’re f***ing peddling,” Strickland raved.

“The world’s not saying, ‘you’re right, chicks have dicks…’ the world is saying, ‘there are two genders’. I don’t want my kids being taught who they can f**k in school, I don’t want my kids being taught about their sexual preference.”

Pointing at Lee, Strickland continued: “This guy is the f***ing enemy. You wanna look at at the f***ing enemy to our world, it’s that motherf***er right there, asking me stupid f***ing questions!”

Sean Strickland just WENT OFF on media asking about his thoughts on LGBTQ 😳 pic.twitter.com/vqKbhQv3Bs

— Happy Punch (@HappyPunch) January 17, 2024

UFC Boss Defends Strickland’s Right to “Free Speech”

Speaking to Outsports, Lee addressed the appalling rant against him and the LGBTIQ+ community, saying: “I come from a city that has a very strong LGBTQ community. I’ve never been comfortable with a lot of fighters’ stances on LGBTQ issues, and he’s been worse than most. I felt it was my responsibility to communities in the city of Toronto to ask these questions.”

Shockingly, UFC president Dana White defended Strickland and accused Lee of “baiting” the fighter with his questions.

“I don’t tell any other f***ing human being what to say, what to think and there’s no leashes on any of them,” White said. “Free speech, brother. People can say whatever they want and they can believe whatever they want.”

Dricus Du Plessis Addresses His Sexuality

Dricus Du Plessis also touched on issues around sexuality in his engagement with the media ahead of the fight, but showed a far more mature perspective.

He commented on earlier jibes by Strickland questioning his sexuality related to a photo of Du Plessis kissing his coach on the mouth in celebration after a win.

“You are talking about me kissing other dudes? I have more photos! I have posted them online I don’t care! Do you think I care? I’m completely comfortable with my sexuality,” Du Plessis told the press.

“Have you seen my girl? So I don’t care about that. I’m going to keep kissing my coach, kissing my dad, kissing my brothers… people saying ‘that’s gay’… So what!”