There is no doubt that Shawn Strickland is one of the best 185-pound fighters on the planet. Because of the impressive resume he has built inside the Octagon, he deserves the top spot in our UFC middleweight rankings.

The 30-7 star has victories over some of the best middleweights of the last decade, including division legend Israel Adesanya. Additionally, seven of his losses inside the UFC have come against elite talents, including future Hall of Famers Alex Pereira and Kamaru Usman.

However, a major reason for their rise to fame, or rather infamy, is the lack of a filter between their brain and mouth. Fight fans are accustomed to bold hot takes from competitors. But Strickland lets fly with any and all ideas about social issues on media programs and social media. And in many instances, they provoked serious reactions because of how controversial they were.

Ahead of his return in the championship main event of UFC 328 this weekend, we take a look at some of Strickland’s most outrageous and controversial opinions.

Shawn Strickland doesn’t want women in the workforce

UFC fans have discovered over the years that the former middleweight champion is conservative in many of his views on society. This includes the roles of men and women in society, and in 2023, he stated that he would prefer women to stay at home and have children rather than be part of the American workforce.

“We need to go back to getting women out of the workforce, and maybe that’s where we went wrong, guys. We let women vote, no offense. Think about America before you let women vote… You let these women into the workforce, now we make less money, you’ve got kids raising themselves on TikTok, we need to go back to like 1942, maybe 1958, after dealing with the Germans. We let women in. “Needs to be put back in the kitchen.”

Sean Strickland hated Bad Bunny’s performance in the Super Bowl

One of the biggest stories of 2026 was music mega-star Bad Bunny – one of the most downloaded artists of all time – performing during the Super Bowl. The February demonstration became the most watched demonstration ever. But leading up to a fight against Anthony Hernandez in February, Strickland offered some anti-gay views on the NFL’s decision.

“I think they all gathered around a table and said, ‘You know, guys, how can we ruin this game? How can we make it gay? Why don’t we bring in a gay alien who doesn’t speak English and have him perform?'”

Bunny is Puerto Rican, which makes him a US citizen because Puerto Rico is a US commonwealth.

Shawn Strickland shows no love for women’s MMA

Next weekend will bring the most valuable promotion and a big first for Netflix. A mixed martial arts event headlined by female MMA legends Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano. However, the middleweight title contender is not a fan of the upcoming bout between the 39-year-old and the 44-year-old.

“Ronda Rousey is going to steamroll her, and we’ll just see two middle-aged women going through menopause fight each other. I don’t know. I’m not interested in that. Who gives a s***?”

Sean Strickland wants opponent to die in cage?

Strickland has expressed a number of bizarre views on life and death over the years. However, the most controversial was a comment from five years ago in which he toyed with the idea of ​​ending an opponent’s life in the cage. This should have raised big red flags with the UFC brass.

“I would love nothing more than to beat someone up in the ring. Nothing more. That would make me extremely happy. I would also own that ***… Be a sociopath, it’s fun!”

The rise before UFC 328

On Saturday night, Strickland will get his second chance to become middleweight champion when he faces current title holder Khamzat Chimaev. It was always expected that the tension between the two foul-mouthed fighters would increase as we get closer to UFC 328.

The first salvo in trash talk came last week when Strickland suggested he might pull out a gun if Chimaev and his friends tried to confront him before their fight.

“I’ll just pull out my gun, and I can shoot him. If you come at me with three Chechen guys who don’t speak English, I’ll pull out my gun, and I’ll shoot each one of you.”

After earning a journalism degree in 2017, Jason Burgos worked as a contributor to several sites, including MMA Sacca… More about Jason Burgos

There’s no love lost between the Carolina Hurricanes and Ottawa Senators during the Round One matchup in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and after the events of Game 3, it’s safe to say that the general feeling of dislike has grown even deeper after Jake Sanderson left the game following a check to the head of Taylor Hall.

At exactly 4:24 in the second period of Thursday night’s game in Ottawa, Ontario, Hall was assessed a two-minute minor penalty after an illegal check to the head against Sanderson. The fumble occurred in the Senators’ defensive zone as Hall and Sanderson both went for the loose puck after Nicholas Matinpalo intercepted Logan Stankoven’s pass to Jackson Blake.

A blow to Hall’s shoulder broke the helmet of Sanderson, who stood on his skates and proceeded to punch Hall in the back of the head, as Matinpalo and Ridley approached him with Greg Sanderson following shortly thereafter.

No antitrust penalties were assessed, and Sanderson spent two more shifts on the ice – the last of which lasted 2:44. During those changes, he took a hit on Sebastian Aho, and also blocked a shot from Blake with his hand – which many believed led to his absence for the remainder of the game.

Travis Green confirms Jake Sanderson injury, objects to lack of review

Senators head coach Travis Green, when asked the reason for his leaving the game, responded, “I think it’s pretty obvious why he left the game.” “I can’t understand how a five-minute major wasn’t called for a blow to the head. That’s a tremendous blow to the head; the kind of blow you don’t want to see. I think it’s ridiculous there was no review.

He further pointed to the review called on Brady Tkachuk, who himself gave a dirty hit to Jordan Martinook, although it was reduced to two minutes for interference.

“They call a review on Brady, on a penalty, which I don’t even know what the penalty was, and then they completely miss a review. I mean, I’d be surprised if there isn’t some review from the league on that, and something is done.”

Sanderson’s injury is another major blow to the Senators, who lost their other top-pairing defenseman, Artem Zub, in the first half of Game 1 in Raleigh on Saturday.

Rachel Barkley is a beat writer covering the Carolina Hurricanes for Carolina Hockey Now on SportsNote. Painting Stories…More About Rachel Barclay

It’s not every night you watch double overtime… and see the game-winning goal put away… and fill with joy when you hear Nickelback play, but for the Carolina Hurricanes and their fans, Monday night was the night they defeated the Ottawa Senators 3-2 in a heated contest.

In the first period, the second line – which had been the dominant line in Game 1 – struck first as Logan Stankoven, with assists from both his linemates, Taylor Hall and Jackson Blake, beat Linus Ullmark through the five-hole.

It wasn’t until the second period that more scoring occurred, starting with Sebastian Aho’s spectacular tip-in goal about eight minutes in, with the only assist from Jordan Staal, just seconds after concluding a successful penalty kill.

However, it didn’t take long for the Senators to pull back, as Drake Batherson gave Ottawa its first goal of the series when he provided a rebound off his own intercepted pass to Claude Giroux.

Soon, Dylan Cozens tied the game with a five-hole goal on Frederick Anderson with assists from Ridley Gregg and Jake Sanderson – the latter of whom intercepted a pass from Logan Stankoven.

There was a flurry of crickets on the scoresheet in the third period, although there was notable pushback from the Senators, who outscored the Hurricanes 8–5 in the frame.

After overtime, chances were there on both ends of the ice, but the Hurricanes got lucky late in the frame… or so they thought.

Controversial offside call wipes out Hurricanes overtime game-winner

With just over three minutes remaining, Staal crossed the blue line and passed to Jordan Martinook, who drew a hooking penalty on Warren Foegele as he prepared to launch the puck on net. Anderson made a strong run to the bench after the extra attacker hit the ice for a delayed penalty, and with 2:42 left in the period, Mark Jankowski put it past Ullmark, which was immediately followed by a celebration by the team and fans.

However, this was followed by an official league review. The referees eventually declared after some discussion that the play was offside, ruling that Staal did not have control of the puck when crossing the blueline, and ruled out a goal that Jankowski had scored.

In addition, the referee also announced that Martinook would take a penalty shot instead of a power play.

Intelligently and humorously, Hurricane’s DJ starts blasting rockstar by Nickelback, whom Martinook has often cited as his favorite band, to try and energize him for the shot. However, the twine was never found in the shot.

The game soon went into a second overtime, and with 13:53 remaining, Martinook sealed the deal with a 3–2 victory – the first overtime game-winning goal of his 12-season career. As they celebrated the victory and walked off the ice, their signature victory song, all I do Is Win Not played by DJ Khaled, and instead, he started yelling rockstar For goalscorers.

storm notes

Throughout the game, the Hurricanes managed their minutes remarkably well, with no skater exceeding 35 minutes of ice-time. The Senators were not so lucky, with three defensemen exceeding that number, one of whom, Sanderson, played over 43 minutes.

The gift was a big issue for Storm. Despite having only two more than the Senators, both goals against them came from them. Additionally, sloppy puck management in the offensive zone led to a few more chances than desirable.

The Nickelback connection to Martinook goes a little deeper than just being a favorite band. During their ‘Get Rollin’ tour, they stopped at Coastal Credit Union Music Park in Walnut Creek, Raleigh, on September 14, 2023, where Martinook performed rockstar On stage with him.

Rachel Barkley is a beat writer covering the Carolina Hurricanes for Carolina Hockey Now on SportsNote. Painting Stories…More About Rachel Barclay

Just three weeks after NASCAR Truck Series team Kaulig Racing parted ways with driver Daniel Dye after making insensitive comments on a livestream in March, the recently reinstated driver will now find himself competing in multiple Cup Series races later this season.

Live Fast Motorsports announced Monday that Daniel Dye will drive the No. 78 car in four Cup Series races, including the Jack Link’s 500 this coming weekend at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama.

RELATED: Daniel Dye, Kaulig Racing Part Ways

Even setting aside Dye’s suspension and insensitive comments, his results in the Truck Series and O’Reilly Auto Parts Series are an odd decision by Live Fast Motorsports. The 22-year-old driver has no experience in the Cup Series, and his results in the lower series do not guarantee a multi-race seat at the highest level.

He has raced 48 times in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, including The LEUNA at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 14. He finished 15th in that and has only finished in the top-20 in two of his three OARS races this year. In his last 21 races in that series, his average finishing position was 21.9.

READ MORE: Cletus McFarland reveals when he’ll run in the next O’Reilly race

In the Truck Series, he failed to finish in the top-12 in the three races before his suspension. Going back even further, his average finishing position was 16.44 with only one top-five finish (Talladega) in his last 13 Truck races.

As far as off-track, in addition to the insensitive comments, Dye was arrested in April 2022 while a student at Father Lopez Catholic High School and was charged with a felony, but that was later reduced to a misdemeanor.

As for why Dye is getting this ride with Live Fast Motorsports in the Cup Series, it’s worth noting that his father, Randy Dye, is a former pro late model driver who owns the Daytona Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram dealership in Daytona Beach and serves on the NASCAR Foundation’s board of directors. Money and influence certainly seem to have been heavy factors in the opportunity given to Dye.

Matt Johnson is the senior NFL and college football editor for Sportsknot. His work including the weekly NFL and college… More about Matt Johnson

A new mock draft from one of the top experts for the event believes the Kansas City Chiefs will use the first of their two picks in Round 1 of next month’s event on a controversial prospect in this year’s class.

As we pass the midpoint of March, we get even closer to the biggest event of April, the 2026 NFL Draft. After a rare losing season in 2025, the Chiefs’ selection next month becomes even more important. And after making a big trade this offseason that sent Trent McDuffie back to the Los Angeles Rams, including another first-round pick this year, Kansas City has a chance to get two top-30 prospects.

But who will the Chiefs select with their valuable pick at No. 9? There has been a lot of speculation about who they would take, and they would be wise to go after the best cornerback available to replace the All-Pro they just traded. He has also been linked to Heisman Trophy finalist Jeremiah Love. The player teams around the NFL are praying they don’t fall for.

Could the Chiefs select Reuben Benn Jr. at No. 9?

Well, according to ESPN NFL Draft expert Mel Kiper, he expects general manager Brett Veach to go in a different direction. In his latest mock draft, Draft Guru projects the Chiefs to select Miami star Reuben Benn Jr.

The Hurricanes defensive end became a controversial figure during the NFL Combine last month when it was revealed that his average arm length was 30 7/8 inches. There hasn’t been a player with fewer weapons in Round 1 of the draft since the Philadelphia Eagles used the 15th overall pick on fellow Miami alumnus Jerome McDougald in 2003. The length of his arm was 31 3/8 inches.

McDougald was a notable draft bust of that year’s class and played only four seasons in the NFL. Nevertheless, Kipper believes that Chiefs cannot afford to miss the chance to select Bane if he is still on board and they are at No.9.

He wrote, “It will be very difficult to overtake Ben at this position. Despite 30⅞-inch arms, which caused quite a stir at the combine, Ben dominates the sideline.” “He easily finds ways to get to the QB, whether it’s his speed, power or intelligence. Last season he had 71 pressures with 9.5 sacks and 18.5 tackles for loss.”

Star pass rusher Chris Jones has shown clear signs of age-related decline over the past few seasons. While he and Benn play different positions, the Chiefs need to start planning for life after Jones and develop a new top pass rusher. Ben can be that player.

After earning a journalism degree in 2017, Jason Burgos worked as a contributor to several sites, including MMA Sacca… More about Jason Burgos

Liverpool may soon face a delicate decision over Alisson Becker, with the Italian claiming there is interest from both Inter and Juventus ahead of the summer window.

La Repubblica reports that the two Serie A giants are actively assessing the goalkeeper market. Inter are preparing for life after Yan Sommar, whose contract expires in a few months. Meanwhile, Juventus are reflecting on Michele Di Gregorio’s inconsistent performances.

Alison, 33, has now re-emerged in that discussion. But this is not the first time Juventus have been linked. last week, gazzetta dello sport It is claimed that the Turin club have already included the Liverpool goalkeeper on their shortlist. guglielmo vicario of tottenham. The Spurs stopper is valued at €25-30m (£21.5m-£26m).

In that context, the Allison was designed as a more affordable option.

Growing Italian interest

Republic Now add inter into the equation. The Nerazzurri are expected to replace Sommer this summer and want an experienced option between the positions.

Juventus, meanwhile, admire Atalanta’s Marco Carneschi, who is worth €45m (£38.5m). However, he is considered difficult to reward. This makes the Liverpool No. 1 an increasingly realistic target.

Alisson is effectively under contract at Anfield until 2027. That detail, combined with Liverpool’s prior agreement of around €34m (£29m) for Giorgi Mamardashvili, is seen as leverage in Italy.

In short, there is a perception that Liverpool are structurally preparing for succession.

Richard Hughes’ dilemma

This is where the situation becomes sensitive. Liverpool have already committed a significant sum of money to Mamardashvili. Yet Arne Slott continues to select Allison whenever he sees fit. The Brazilian remains the first choice and arguably the most reliable goalkeeper in the Premier League.

It forms a strategic crossroads. If Liverpool intend to extract maximum value, this summer could represent the last strong opportunity. Goalkeepers entering their mid-thirties rarely receive significant fees, even if their contracts last more than 12 months.

On the other hand, there is competitive risk in moving Mamardashvili into the No. 1 role.

There is no indication that Liverpool are actively pursuing Alisson. Yet, with Juventus circling again and Inter now monitoring the situation, Richard Hughes may soon find himself considering one of the most controversial transfer calls of the summer.

In an NHL season in which goaltender interference has been an increasingly frustrating topic, an ambiguous and often downright judgment call went to Team Canada in the men’s Olympic hockey semi-finals, and led the Canadians to a 3–2 victory over Team Finland.

With two Canadian referees, no less.

With 6:35 remaining and Canada trailing 2-1, dangerous winger Brad Marchand came to the crease with no hesitation. He then approached Team Finland forward Erik Haula from behind. Those are undeniable facts.

From there, how fans watched the drama had a lot to do with the passports they held. Finland did not challenge the call for fear of being outmatched against rising Canada.

Shea Theodore ties it for Team Canada 🇨🇦

They were trailing Finland 2-0 at the start of the game

(via @NBCOlympics)pic.twitter.com/rYJTaBPdgM

– Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) 20 February 2026

Referees Eric Farlat and Dan O’Rourke could have waived the goal, but the call on the ice was a good goal.

To this writer, it certainly looked like Marchand made contact and then tripped over Saros because of the contact, and Saros did not have time to reset his position for play again, but the referee ruled that Haula caused the contact or that Saros had enough time to regain his position.

Shea Theodore was credited with the call. This season, nearly 70% of goalie interference challenges in the NHL have been unsuccessful. Finland decided not to take the chance, potentially giving the Canadiens a power play.

After the quarterfinal loss to Canada, Czechia coach Radim Rulik criticized the referees and questioned their impartiality.

“I feel like everyone is afraid to say anything against Canada,” Rulik said after the game on Wednesday.

To add insult to injury, Finland lost on a late power play goal after a high-sticking penalty. Canadian forward Nathan MacKinnon blasted a shortside one-timer from the left circle with just 35 seconds remaining.

Canada will face the winner of Team USA vs. Slovakia on Sunday for the gold medal.