UFC champion says he’d ‘beat the s***’ out of trans man Elliot Page in a fight
Sean Strickland names Elliot Page as a celebrity he’d “love” to fight. (Getty Images)
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighter Sean Strickland has said that if he could fight any celebrity, he would choose actor Elliot Page.
In the post, shared by combat sports account Championship Rounds, Strickland is asked, “Any celebrity you’d love to fight?”, and he immediately responds by saying, “Elliot Page, that’s f****** all day long, that’s an easy dub. I’d beat the s*** out of him.”
As of 16 September, the post has 14.7M views, 24.4K likes and 524 reposts.
Why Elliot Page being singled out matters
Page is one of the most visible trans men in global entertainment, and his name is frequently pulled into online transphobia and culture-war pile-ons.
Strickland is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Middleweight division of the UFC and is a two-time UFC Middleweight Champion. He’s known for his brash public persona and controversial remarks in interviews and on social media, and has drawn criticism for inflammatory remarks, including comments widely described as misogynistic or anti-LGBTQ+.
He faced criticism in June after sharing an AI-generated video depicting himself violently attacking Dylan Mulvaney in a fighting ring.
Page came out as trans in 2020 and has been a prominent advocate for trans rights and LGBTQ+ visibility. Earlier this month, he said he had no acting offers after The Odyssey, implying he believed it may be because he is trans.
