“Women are here. We’re here to stay,” Sean Strickland’s ‘disgusting’ comments get strong reply from champion Raquel Pennington

Raquel Pennington responds to Sean Strickland's comments about WMMA and gay people.

“Women are here. We’re here to stay,” Sean Strickland’s ‘disgusting’ comments get strong reply from champion Raquel Pennington

Raquel Pennington fires back at Sean Strickland for his comments about women's MMA and homophobic people (via IMAGO/Instagram)

UFC 297 successfully opened the UFC’s PPV events for this calendar year. As such, Sean Strickland vs. Dricus Du Plessis headlined the card, while Raquel Pennington vs. Mayra Bueno Silva served as the co-main event. In the lead-up to the fight, many expected Strickland to stir some controversy, and he did. He made some critical comments about being homophobic and women’s MMA on media day. Now, Pennington fired back at the former champion for his ‘disgusting’ comments.

In her latest appearance on the MMA Hour show, Raquel Pennington said she was unbothered about Sean Strickland’s comments. However, she made sure to strike back at him. Here is what she said:

I just think it was disgusting on his (Sean Strickland) part to even be concerned about us as human beings and our lifestyle, and just the comments he was making. At the end of the day, MMA has grown a ton. The women are here. We’re here to stay. The divisions are growing. You have tons of up-and-coming talent, so to criticize female athletes, I don’t agree with any of that.
Raquel Pennington (via The MMA Hour)
YouTube video

Sean Strickland, with his outspoken nature, voiced out his unfiltered opinion on homosexuals and women fighters during the media day. As such, Raquel Pennington, being gay, stood up for her identity and trashed Strickland’s comments. Pennington is married to fellow female fighter Tecia Torres and is raising a girl child together.

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Raquel Pennington fulfilled her longtime dream of becoming a UFC champion in UFC 297. She defeated Mayra Beuno Silva via unanimous decision and grabbed the UFC gold. However, Sean Strickland couldn’t replicate Pennington’s success, as he lost his fight and title to Dricus Du Plessis via split decision.

What did Sean Strickland say about Women’s MMA?

Sean Strickland often found himself at the center of attention due to his forthright quality. As such, the comments he made about women’s MMA during UFC 297 media day captured the attention of the MMA community.

Sean Strickland's comments about Women's MMA
Sean Strickland’s comments about Women’s MMA (via CODE Sports)

In a particular segment of the media day, Sean Strickland claimed he didn’t care about women’s fights in MMA. As such, he compared the NBA and WNBA and questioned which was more popular. Further down the line, he trolled Raquel Pennington by stating that any man could beat her. Here is what he said:

I don’t give a f***. WNBA vs NBA, who watches what, and who makes more money? There is a vast difference between men and women. Even take this week, Canadian sitting next to you (a male journalist), he could probably beat up Raquel Pennington. The fact of the matter is any one of you f**** could beat our co-main event in a fight
Sean Strickland (via UFC 297 Media Day)

These comments from Sean Strickland received outbursts among female fighters in the promotion. Recently, Raquel Pennington herself spoke about Strickland’s statements and slammed him. As for their careers, Pennington won the bantamweight championship in UFC 297, while Strickland lost his middleweight title.

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