“Here to Stay”: Raquel Pennington Takes a Stand Against Sean Strickland’s Offensive Comments on Women Fighters

Sean Strickland is one of the most polarising figures in MMA at the moment. The 32-year-old is known for being unapologetically himself and sharing his thoughts about anything and everything without a filter. This was recently on full display as he was extremely critical of the co-main event on the PPV card with him at UFC 297. Women’s bantamweight champion Raquel Pennington recently hit out at Sean Strickland for his comments during the build-up. Pennington recently sat down for an interview with Ariel Helwani for MMA Fighting.

Helwani asked Pennington about Strickland’s comments and what she made of it. She said,

“You know, at the end of the day, people are always going to talk. They’re always going to have their opinions. You’re allowed to have your own opinion but at the end of the day you’re not going to affect my life… you know I just think it was disgusting on his part to even be concerned about us as human beings and our lifestyle. At the end of the day, MMA has grown a ton, the women are here, we’re here to stay.

Pennington went on to add that even though Strickland might not approve women’s MMA is growing at a rapid rate. She pointed out to the increasing number of women entering not just the UFC but MMA in general. She stated emphatically that women’s MMA is here to stay.

In addition to poking fun at the co-main event at UFC 297, Strickland also touched nerves with his comments on the LGBTQ community. Although Dana White stated that he was not a fan of Strickland’s comments, he also stated that he would never tell a fighter what to say or what not to say.

Sean Strickland making more enemies than friends in the UFC?

Over the past two or three years, Strickland has risen massively in popularity. During that time, his comments have gotten more controversial every time he has been put in front of a mike. Israel Adesanya, Sean O’Malley and Dricus Du Plessis are a few fighters that Strickland has brutally trolled. However, during the build-up to the fight against Du Plessis, Strickland faced the wrath of fans for being a hypocrite.

‘Tarzan’ was extremely offended by comments made by Du Plessis about his childhood. Fans were quick to point out that Strickland has said equally offensive, if not even more, about many fighters, including Du Plessis. Therefore, he should be able to receive it as well as he dishes it out.