"I want that sh*t to die" - Sean Strickland wants to ban 'Tarzan' nickname tied to his former "Nazi beliefs" ahead of UFC 312
Sean Strickland has discussed the origins and current approach toward his fighter nickname, 'Tarzan'. It's a moniker that's long been used by many fans and experts to address him. It appears that Strickland wants to disassociate himself from it.
As indicated in reports by the O.H.C.H.R. (Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights), a top United Nations (U.N.) body on human rights, the Nazi socio-political ideology generally entails discrimination on the grounds of ethnicity, race, nationality, and other factors.
Strickland has often suggested that some of his family's elders raised him with Nazi and neo-Nazi beliefs. He has been quite vocal about how his venture into MMA training helped him interact with people from different communities and distance himself from the Nazi community and ideology.
The Schmo recently interviewed Strickland before the American's departure to Australia for his rematch against UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis at UFC 312. He introduced the ex-UFC middleweight champion with his moniker, 'Tarzan'. Strickland intervened and recounted how he got the nickname.
Alluding to a tradition that some American neo-Nazi followers generally adhere to, that of shaving one's head, Strickland seemed to suggest that he wanted to symbolically head in the opposite direction.
Therefore, he started sporting long hair. Someone gave Strickland's long-haired version the nickname 'Tarzan,' owing to his resemblance to the long-haired fictional character of the same name. Signaling that he doesn't need that nickname now, Strickland stated:
"Whoa, whoa, whoa... Let me erase that, guys. And let me tell you how the name 'Tarzan' happened. Right? You know, I was a little, young lad with a shaved head and some really Nazi beliefs. And then, I got older, and I was like, 'You know what? I don't like that version of myself.' You know? My little small self. And I was like, 'I'm going to grow my hair out. And I'm going to go completely different, completely opposite direction.' And some a**hole named me 'Tarzan'. And it stuck. And I want that sh*t to die. All right?"
He continued:
"Now, I'm secure. I'm comfortable. I don't my little, young, little Hitler youth self. I'm past that. I'm grown up. That's not who I am. Alright? So, yeah, it's time to walk away from that, sir."
Check out Sean Strickland's comments below (0:15):
Sean Strickland comments on his hero-worship of his grandfather, overcoming Nazi influence
On The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani in 2021, Sean Strickland implied he sported Nazi symbols on his body as a schoolchild. Having had a self-admittedly turbulent relationship with his father, he explained that his grandfather was someone he idolized growing up, adding that his grandfather held Nazi beliefs and inculcated them in him.
Furthermore, he referenced the 1998 Hollywood movie, 'American History X,' a crime-drama film about a neo-Nazi. Strickland implied that, as a child, he wanted to live like that movie's characters. Nevertheless, he explained that getting into martial arts helped him steer clear of Nazism:
"My grandfather was like this big piece of sh*t. When you're a kid, you don't see that. You hero-worship him ... I grew out of it when I started training. Like, when I started training, there was a moment, when I was like, 14, 15 ..."
Watch Strickland's assessment below (13:04):