"Shame on you guys"- Sean Strickland highlights Aussie woman's arrest over lockdown protest post, questions the country's free speech rights
Sean Strickland is undoubtedly one of the most outspoken fighters on the UFC roster and is widely known to freely express his unfiltered opinions on sensitive social issues. While 'Tarzan' has passionately spoken about many socio-political topics in the past, freedom is arguably his favorite subject of discussion.
Strickland is currently visiting Sydney, Australia, for his middleweight title match against Israel Adesanya at UFC 293. Given his propensity for steamrolling press conferences with hilarious or fiery rants, many expected him to do the same during his media obligations before this weekend's pay-per-view event.
Sean Strickland didn't disappoint. During a recent media day presser, the No.5-ranked middleweight contender brought up the subject of Australian freedom of speech laws and recalled Victorian police arresting a pregnant woman for trying to organize an anti-lockdown protest on Facebook during the COVID-19 pandemic. He said:
"You f***ing Aussies. It must be talked about... You guys did throw a pregnant woman in jail over a Facebook post during COVID-19... Shame on you guys... Here's the thing, Australia, I would like you guys so much better if you had freedom of speech... How's that not standard with you guys? How do you not have a freedom of speech [law]."
For context, the Australian constitution doesn't explicitly protect unrestricted freedom of speech but differentiates between freedom of opinion and freedom of expression. While citizens are free to hold any personal belief without restriction, the right to express those beliefs must be within limits.
Catch Strickland's comments below (13:00):
Sean Strickland issues a chilling warning to Bradley Martyn and challenges the influencer to a street fight
Sean Strickland seemingly has no patience for Bradley Martyn and his antics. The UFC middleweight contender recently warned the fitness influencer against facetiously challenging MMA fighters to a fight.
For context, Martyn hosts the popular Raw Talk podcast, where he has interviewed several MMA stars. During the conversation, Martyn slyly asked them if they thought they could beat him in a street fight. While many found his question to be nothing more than a schtick, others believe it was disrespectful to athletes who have dedicated their lives to practicing and perfecting violence.
In a recent interview with Nina-Marie Daniele, Sean Strickland was asked if the 260-pound Bradley Martyn could beat him in a street fight. 'Tarzan' replied:
"Who the f**k is Bradley Martyn?... Bradley Martyn, if you're here right now, and I can get away with it, I would take your f**king life... You challenge people. Motherf***er, I'm in Vegas, and you show the f**k up, you little b*tch. Sign a waiver, and we will see how many bones we can break in your fu**ing face."