UFC great Amanda Nunes hits out at Sean Strickland’s sexist comments on women’s super-fight

Amanda Nunes has fired back at Sean Strickland over his sexist rant this week, after the controversial UFC fighter took aim at Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano.

It was announced on Tuesday that UFC great Rousey will fight Carano, a fellow mixed martial arts (MMA) trailblazer, in May – in a bout that will be streamed live on Netflix.

The contest is Rousey’s first since she lost to Nunes in a UFC title fight in 2016, while Carano has not competed since 2009. And while the surprising news drew some excitement from the MMA fanbase, it led Strickland to launch into a sexist tirade.

Speaking at a media day on Wednesday, ahead of his main-event clash with Anthony Hernandez on Saturday, the outspoken Strickland dismissed Rousey and Carano’s fight as well as women’s MMA in general – not for the first time.

The former middleweight champion, 34, said “nobody gives a f***” about women’s MMA and that the “softest” male could beat Nunes, who is widely considered the greatest women’s fighter in MMA history.

Strickland, who previously expressed a desire to kill an opponent in the cage, added that he felt women are “too empowered”, before making the offensive claim that they should focus on domestic duties.

“I mean, [women’s MMA] is still not very good, but when Gina Carano was fighting it was significantly worse,” the American continued. “Ronda Rousey’s going to f***ing steamroll her [...] I don’t know. I have no interest in that. Who gives a f***?”

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Strickland continued to rant with crasser comments, leading Nunes to fire back on Instagram on Thursday.

The Brazilian, who is due to return to the UFC this year after retiring in 2023, said: “We do everything he said, and to top it all off, lol, we’re fighters too. #girlpower don’t cry.”

UFC fighter Amanda Ribas was among those to comment in support of Nunes’s stance, while jiu-jitsu champion Ana Maria “India” called Strickland a “poor little thing, worthy of pity,” adding: “This speech shows how much he diminishes in front of strong, determined women.”

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Nunes, one of just four dual-weight champions in UFC history, was due to return to the company in January. However, the 37-year-old’s opponent, bantamweight champion Kayla Harrison, withdrew from their bout due to injury. The title fight is expected to be rescheduled.

Harrison, 35, is also a great of women’s MMA, whose UFC title run has followed two stints as a PFL champion. Furthermore, the American is a two-time Olympic gold-medalist in Judo. She is also a former training partner of Nunes.