UFC Boss Provides Clarity on Alleged Sean Strickland Fan-Punching Incident

Earlier this week, Sean Strickland claimed to have punched a trash-talking Israel Adesanya fan.

“Boom, right in the guts,” Strickland told Fox Sports Australia. “I’d only been in Australia a day and already I’d committed an assault. Initially, I thought the guy was coming up for a photo. Because anybody who wants a photo, man, I love the fans. But if you wanna come up to me and run your f—-ing mouth, I’ll smack you like I smack anybody else.

“Uppercut to his stomach. Then I walked away. But if I see the guy again, man, no problems. ... I’ll thank him for not pressing charges.”

Strickland, who will face Israel Adesanya for the middleweight title in the UFC 293 headliner, is known for making outlandish statements to garner attention. In this case, the “punching” was more in jest, according to UFC president Dana White.

“Do you know where the news came from that he punched a fan?” White said at the post-fight press conference for the Contender’s Series on Tuesday. “[From him,] yeah. He’s a beauty. He played it up more than whatever. It was jokingly, the fan and him are cool.”

With that being said, White doesn’t seem particularly thrilled about the incident, and Strickland will be monitored to ensure that he makes it to the Octagon on Saturday night.

“Going into this, I knew what this week was gonna be like,” White said. “Yes, we’re prepared for it and yes we have people around him now so he won’t be punching people in the stomach anymore. For fun or not for fun.”