Sean Strickland was fired up at media day forward of his battle with Paulo Costa at UFC 302 this Saturday.
No matter was off limits and no topic was secure as Strickland was requested about a wide range of subjects at his first pre-fight scrum since dropping the middleweight title to Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 297 in January.
One matter that was addressed was the subject of the brand new gloves which can be set to debut at UFC 302. Strickland makes his twenty second look for the promotion this weekend so he’s as certified as anybody to guage the gear and he’s not happy.
“They suck,” Strickland mentioned. “Can we discuss to the one that designed these gloves? Have you ever ever been in a battle in your f*cking life? It’s such as you get these f*cking dorks that don’t know. Like, this seems like a good suggestion and so they make it. Identical factor with bikes. I’ve purchased bikes and so they put a lot silly sh*t on it. How did you assh*les assume this was a good suggestion?
“So no, they completely suck. You dropped the ball on that one.”
Particularly, as a result of the gloves are ‘extra stitched’ as Strickland put it, he believes they may result in fighters struggling extra cuts. He additionally doubts their efficacy in stopping eye pokes, stating that these fouls are as a consequence of fighter conduct and no change in gloves will make a distinction.
“In the event you get minimize since you get hit within the f*cking head, don’t get hit within the f*cking head you don’t get minimize,” Strickland mentioned. “You get poked within the eyes since you f*cking opened opened your hand, so don’t open your palms and also you received’t get poked within the eye. That’s individuals creating issues that aren’t there.”
Strickland was additionally requested about the potential of preventing with out gloves when his MMA profession is over. The 33-year-old has no date in thoughts for a possible retirement, however one factor he can say with confidence is that he doesn’t see himself competing for the BKFC anytime quickly, if ever.
“How a lot would I battle f*cking bare-knuckle for?” Strickland mentioned. “Nothing they’d pay me. Naked-knuckle, you wish to speak about f*cking crooks, they’re paying their guys sh*t. [BKFC] is a type of organizations the place you hear these numbers, it’s all bullsh*t.
“In the event you have a look at the bottom rung of the fellows, they’re f*cking breaking their palms, breaking their orbitals, and so they’re making a few thousand bucks. Naked-knuckle is f*cking trash.”
Don’t count on to see Strickland concerned in influencer boxing anytime both, although he has had notable run-ins with personalities from that world prior to now. In February, Strickland bloodied social media guru Sneako in a clip that went viral, and he’s additionally publicly butted heads with influencer boxer Bryce Corridor.
Corridor beforehand mentioned that he’d prefer to spar Strickland, a lot to the fighter’s annoyance.
“It’s truly humorous, we now have individuals in the identical circle, like, ‘No, he simply desires to be your good friend,’” Strickland mentioned. “Bryce Corridor, you mentioned some silly sh*t and I’m going to f*cking backhand you. I’m going to hit you proper within the f*cking face and at that second you may select to be a f*cking man and take your ass-beating otherwise you is usually a little bitch, however after I’m performed f*cking beating the sh*t out of you, we could be buddies.”
Even returning UFC star Conor McGregor wasn’t secure from Strickland’s invective on Wednesday.
When Strickland was instructed a couple of latest on-line examine that positioned him behind “The Infamous” on a listing of essentially the most engaging males in MMA, Strickland let McGregor have it.
“Conor?” Strickland mentioned. “No, that f*cking little leprechaun? That motherf*cker seems like he’s placing his head below f*cking urinals, my man, no f*cking method.”
