The growth of the UFC over the past decade has allowed for it to enter new markets. In addition to this, the increased popularity of the sport has seen fighters from several previously underrepresented countries fight in the UFC. The promotion’s recent announcement added yet another country to the list: India. While a chunk of the MMA community has welcomed the news, Sean Strickland seemed sarcastic.
Taking to his X account, the former UFC Middleweight champion mocked the news by saying that in a dream world, every Indians would be an UFC fighter. He also claimed that in such a scenario, not getting questioned about a revoked social security number was normal.
Strickland reacted to the news in a sarcastic manner, saying,
“This is the world I dream of. A world where ALL Indians are UFC fighters. A world where I dont get called about my social security number being revoked. No more will my phone company put me in a loop of Indian customers service representatives. We are one step closer…”
India is the most populous country in the world. However, the sport of MMA is severely underdeveloped in the country. India represents a huge market for the UFC both in terms of talent as well as fanbase.
The addition of Indian fighters on the roster will only further help the promotion expand its wings. Chamatkar Sandhu took to Twitter to confirm that the first Indian female fighter in UFC history, Puja Tomar, will make her debut against Rayanne dos Santos. The fight will take place at the UFC Fight Night card in Louisville, Kentucky, on June 8.
Tomar, however, is not the first Indian to step into the UFC octagon. That title belongs to Anshul Jubli who currently competes in the lightweight division of the promotion. He signed with the promotion in 2022 and has since fought thrice in the UFC. Although Jubli lost his bout at UFC 294, Tomar will be aiming to start things off with a win on the biggest stage in MMA.
Meanwhile, putting aside all the mocking, Strickland aims to get back his middleweight gold that he lost at UFC 297. However, in order to do so, he has to go through Paulo Costa first.
Sean Strickland aiming to take a step closer to the title against Costa
‘Tarzan’ recently lost his belt in his first title defense against Dricus Du Plessis. The fight was close and therefore Strickland wanted an immediate rematch. However, the UFC and Dana White did not oblige. Strickland then shifted his focus towards Paulo Costa, which the UFC agreed to.
When he was presented with the contract, Strickland rejected it, as the pay was not enough. He vented his frustration on social media and called out the UFC. But a few days later, the match was confirmed by the UFC and would now feature as the co-main event of the UFC 302.
