"Nobody has your f**ing leash anymore" - When Sean Strickland shared his honest thoughts about "white trash f***" Conor McGregor
In the past, Sean Strickland has expressed his unfiltered perspective on Conor McGregor.
The former UFC middleweight champion has earned renown within the MMA community for his unapologetically honest and sometimes provocative viewpoints spanning various subjects.
In October 2021, 'The Notorious' found himself on the receiving end of Strickland's verbal onslaught following allegations of assault leveled by Francesco Facchinetti, a prominent Italian DJ and TV personality.
During his appearance on UFC Hall of Famer Michael Bisping's BELIEVE YOU ME Podcast, Strickland initially commended the former two-division champion for his remarkable achievements but later strongly rebuked him for his conduct. He said:
"McGregor is the f**king like the pinnacle of success, and I’ll tell you why, dude. We’re all just a f**king dog, and someone has our leash. You know, Dana [White] is a dog with somebody, somebody is holding his leash. I’m a dog with Dana, and he’s holding my leash."
He added:
"The moment you become McGregor, dude, nobody has your f**king leash anymore, and that’s like the f**king pinnacle of success, and you can do whatever the f**k you want… Yeah, but at the end of the day, don’t forget that McGregor is like a white trash f**k who came in the money." [h/t - MMA Betz]
According to Facchinetti's version of events, the incident unfolded outside a Rome hotel and was entirely unexpected, given that he and his wife had been mingling with 'The Notorious' and his partner, Dee Devlin, for several hours before the confrontation ensued.
Sean O'Malley suggests regular head trauma as primary factor in Sean Strickland's mental health challenges
Sean O'Malley recently put forth a theory suggesting that Sean Strickland's mental health battles could stem from the repeated head trauma incurred through absorbing blows during sparring sessions. Strickland is known to spar very often, and go hard at it in the gym.
Last month, Strickland opened up about his enduring struggle with mental torment through a string of social media updates. 'Tarzan' stated that despite achieving his longstanding goals, he consistently grapples with inner turmoil.
On his social media handles, he has posted on the subject on a variety of occasions.
Check out a couple of posts from Sean Strickland below:
During a recent episode of his TimboSugaShow podcast, the reigning UFC bantamweight champion pointed out that Strickland's persistent psychological challenges could be linked to overexposure to punishment during sparring:
"It’s like, duh. Anyone who says that they literally have a [desire] to kill people probably aren’t doing mentally well. You either love or you hate, and if you want to kill people for no reason. ... I mean, he’s honest about it, which is f**king pretty crazy."
He added:
"Just going in there and sparring and getting hit in the head — not that he gets hit that much, but if you’re getting hit not that much, but you spar every day, that adds up."
Check out Sean O'Malley's comments below (23:33):