"Sean Strickland is the biggest liability for the company when he gets on the microphone" - Michael Chiesa

Sean Strickland (left) and Michael Chiesa (right), [via Chris Unger / Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC]

Michael Chiesa fears the worst for the UFC if Sean Strickland and Israel Adesanya's title fight comes to fruition.

Sean Strickland is widely known for his controversial statements. He owns a slew of questionable comments, ranging from his opinions of the LGBTQIA+ community to opening up about his dream to kill someone in the octagon.

The number 11 ranked welterweight Michael Chiesa fears Strickland's commentary will devastate the Ultimate Fighting Championship. After UFC 276, he believes a fight between Strickland and Adesanya would fail to deliver good results.

Speaking on UFC Round-UP with Paul Felder, Chiesa said:

"Strickland is the biggest liability for the company when gets on the microphone. You just don't know what he's gonna say. So I'm thinking to myself, like if the MMA gods start dropping lightning bolts on the UFC's plans and just burn it down, like Sean Strickland in a title fight with Israel Adesanya would be like, oh man, I don't think it would be - it would not be a good a thing."

During the UFC 276 pre-fight press conference, Strickland showed up in his original fashion. 'Tarzan' didn't hold back from ripping into middleweight champion Israel Adesanya about his manicure and his personal interests.

Below is a Twitter post quoting one of Strickland's lines from the presser:

Sean Strickland to Israel Adesanya:

"No man who beats off to cartoons is going to beat me."

#UFC276

"Sean Strickland to Israel Adesanya: "No man who b***s off to cartoons is going to beat me." #UFC276"

Whenever Strickland takes the microphone, something outlandish is bound to be said. It may be a part of his fighter personality, but his statements, among the cancel culture, could potentially put the UFC in a tough spot.

Watch the conversation between Michael Chiesa and Paul Felder in the video below:

Michael Chiesa delays return to octagon

Michael Chiesa says back injury delaying UFC return 😓

"Michael Chiesa says back injury delaying UFC return."

Chiesa suffered a loss to Sean Brady back in November and is now on a two-fight losing streak. Fans are now wondering if and when Chiesa will return to the octagon.

He claimed to return in 2022, but talks of his next opponent have yet to circulate. Chiesa recently revealed in an interview with MMA Junkie that a back injury is preventing him from returning to the cage. However, he assures that the urge to fight is still within him. He stated that he will make an octagon appearance once his body is back in good condition.

Chiesa told MMA Junkie:

"I actually sustained a back injury like at the end of february, early March. So I've just been kind of on the mend with that."

The 34-year-old is currently 18-6 as a pro MMA fighter and still has plans to become a world champion.

Watch the discussion with Chiesa about his octagon return here: