Keith Lee and Sean Strickland have been embroiled in a prolonged dispute concerning allegations of racism. Both combat sports personalities have been engaging in a back-and-forth exchange, with each fighter claiming what they said or did not say in relation to the accusations.
The situation has resulted in a contentious and heated exchange of words between the two athletes as they attempt to defend their positions and refute the allegations they brought against each other.
UFC star Sean Strickland’s brutal racism accusation sees response from TikToker Keith
After enduring a week of unwarranted false accusations, negative remarks, and backlash, Keith Lee decided to speak out against Sean Strickland. Keith asserted that he was unjustly targeted for something he did not do
“Never at any point did I say I didn’t like anybody, I simply disagreed with what he said and instead of fighting ignorance with ignorance, I said no, I’m happily married with children and I’m very proud of the family that God has allowed me to build,” Lee said.
Keith acknowledged that he had a conversation with Sean, but he disputed the way it was portrayed by Strickland. According to the former Bellator star, he merely approached Sean while two individuals whom he considers friends were already engaged in a conversation after a practice session.
“I immediately disagreed with all the ignorant and distasteful comments that he made and I was no longer interested in entertaining the conversation,” Lee added.
Keith Lee responds to Sean Strickland after Sean calls Keith Lee racist. pic.twitter.com/sXZfAb1R3G
— Fight Lounge (@fightlounge_) July 25, 2023
What did Sean Strickland say about Keith Lee?
On the other hand, Sean Strickland offers a different perspective on the incident. According to the middleweight fighter, Keith approached him in the gym with the intention of discussing issues related to race.
“So he comes up to me and starts accusing me of being f—- racist and I’m like what are we f—– doing here dude like if I was racist, I’m the most honest mfer there” Sean said.
With Keith Lee (@Keith_lee135) and Sean Strickland (@SStricklandMMA) going back and forth over alleged lies being told, how do y’all see this match ending?
Give one boxing prediction, and one MMA prediction! pic.twitter.com/HG1BdcvRHz
— InfluencerChampsLeague (@ICLBoxing) July 25, 2023
Strickland maintains that he was not interested in engaging in such a controversial conversation at that time, as his focus was solely on sparring and training in the gym. This led to a disagreement between the two fighters, with Strickland asserting that he did not wish to partake in the discussion about race during their training session.
“Anytime you’re talking to somebody racist, and I know this because I used to be a little racist, anytime you’re talking to somebody racist and you want to p— them off, you’ve just got to talk about f—– the s-x, the race of whatever they are.” Sean added.
‘Tarzan’ acknowledges that during the incident in the gym, he showed Keith Lee, Curt (Chris Curtis), Jason Manly, and another black individual who were all present together. According to Strickland, they were sitting right next to him, and Keith was expressing his dislike for white people. During this conversation, the others remained silent as Lee shared his views on the matter.
“So I’m like yo Lee, I’m not racist, I F more black women than you have bro how am I a racist. I said just relax, I know you got a little white woman at home, chill the f— out’ and I’m just kind of poking him but I’m doing it funny and he goes ‘nah F that, I don’t like white people!’ Sean further added.
Sean Strickland says Keith Lee, Kevin Lee’s brother accused him of being racist and then ended up saying “I don’t like white people” pic.twitter.com/f1eoky2rnV
— MMA Mania (@mmamania) July 17, 2023
What is your take on the whole controversy surrounding the two MMA fighters? Share your thoughts with us in the comment section.