Dana White smacks down question over Sean Strickland's comments, schools reporter on the importance of free speech

Dana White masterfully shot down a reporter's question regarding the explosive comments recently made by UFC fighter Sean Strickland. The UFC boss then promptly schooled the reporter on the importance of free speech.

During a press conference in Canada on Wednesday, Strickland lambasted a reporter over the choice of questions that had nothing to do with sports.

The reporter rehashed a tweet that Strickland made in 2021 that read: "If I had a gay son I would think I failed as a man to create such weakness..... If I had a wh*re for a daughter I'd think she just wanted to be like her dad lol!"

Minutes after the initial tweet, Strickland jokingly clarified his comment by saying: "LISTEN gay men are great, I support them and their choices. Freedom! Gay guys have it made. Most gay guys I know are always happy. They all just get to hang with buddies all day and have sex.. us straight men, we're f***ed... we gotta do some serious work to get laid. Not fair."

The Canadian reporter noted that Toronto has a "pretty supportive gay and lesbian community." The reporter also touched on the Bud Light scandal and transphobia.

Strickland went on a rant about Canada and the reporter.

"Well then you’re a weak f***ing man," Strickland lashed out. "You’re part of the f***ing problem. You elected Justin Trudeau. When he seized the bank accounts, like you’re just f***ing pathetic. The fact that you have no f***ing backbone and as he shut down your f***ing country and seized bank accounts, you ask me some stupid s**t like that. Go f*** yourself. Move the f*** on man."

Strickland declared that he "liked the f***ing gays," and that he doesn't "give a f*** who you f***." However, the UFC middleweight fighter said he has a problem with children being taught about sexual topics in school.

On Saturday, Strickland would lose the middleweight championship bout to Dricus Du Plessis at the UFC 297 event in Toronto, Canada.

Following the UFC 297 event, Dana White was asked about Strickland's comments by a reporter during the post-fight press conference.

White said Strickland was "baited" with the question.

He added, "I don't try to control any other human being in any way, shape, or form."

The reporter asked White, “You obviously give a long leash to your fighters about, you know, what they can say when they are up there with a UFC microphone, and you are getting into territory of, like, homophobia, transphobia... Is there," and then White cut him off.

White declared, "I don’t give anybody a leash. A leash? Free speech. Control what people say? Going to tell people what to believe? Going to tell people…I don’t f***ing tell any other human being what to say, what to think. There’s no leashes on any of them."

"That’s ridiculous to say I give somebody a leash. Free speech, brother," White continued. "People can say whatever they want and they can believe whatever they want. And I don’t think there’s any…we had two gay women who fought in the co-main event. They sat on the stage with Sean Strickland. They could give a s**t what Sean Strickland thinks, or what he says, or what his beliefs are, or what his opinions are.”

White was referencing UFC fighters Raquel Pennington and Mayra Bueno Silva – both of whom are gay.

You can watch Dana White's comments below.

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