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Sean Strickland had some pretty strong opinions about Ryan Garcia’s latest social media post.

After sending fight fans into a panic with a confusing video referencing his own death, Garcia posted a minute-long clip to confirm that he is physically okay, though the former WBC interim lightweight champion looked noticeably dejected. Claiming that he had no access to his phone or credit cards and that someone was attempting to have him jailed, Garcia’s post posed more questions than it provided answers.

Uninterested in the 25-year-old millionaire’s tales of woe online, former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland chimed in, calling ‘The Flash’ a “f*cking p*ssy” and reminding him that there are people in the world with far more important issues.

God I hate famous people. Bro you are f*cking RICH…. They’re kids in salt mines, kids dying of cancer begging for one more day on this earth and you’re having a mental break down on social media.. You f*cking p*ssy,” Strickland wrote in response to Garcia’s video.

Garcia replied, calling Strickland a “bully” and telling him a not-so-subtle way that he needs Jesus.

“If you knew God you wouldn’t hate anyone,” Garcia responded. “You went on and Took advantage of a streamer who was someone with no exp. And you gave him a concussion. You think you are doing a service but really you are just a bully coming in the name of a hero.”

“You get what you want?? Did enough people tell you they love you??? Do you feel better??? You get enough attention lmao!!! Next time just be a man and pull the mother f*cker don’t press post haha fucking woman,” Strickland snapped back.“

Ryan Garcia Pokes fun at Sean strickland’s emotional moment

Garcia also made light of Strickland’s viral appearance on the Theo Von podcast where the outspoken UFC star broke down in tears while discussing his rough upbringing. “Toughest man alive,” Garcia wrote alongside a series of images from the episode. “Captain America look different to me.”

That prompted yet another response from Strickland, calling Garcia an especially vile four-letter word, among other things.

“Lmao I had a 3 minute slip on a podcast talking about real sh*t…. You had a melt down because a girl haha we ain’t the same.. You’re just another c*nt out there looking for attention. You get enough likes? Lmao and bro you know where to find me. Be about it don’t talk about it,” Strickland added.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Devin Haney has watched his upcoming opponent, Ryan Garcia, express interest in a UFC fight with Sean O’Malley. But when asked if Garcia would ever have a chance in the octagon with O’Malley, Haney’s answer was quick and honest.

“F*** no,” Haney said on The MMA Hour.

Haney and Garcia meet in the boxing ring on April 20 in a highly anticipated matchup at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

While Haney confidently picked O’Malley in an MMA fight, he would pick Garcia with the same confidence in a fight against the UFC bantamweight champion in the squared circle.

“Sean is MMA, that’s where he’d dominate,” Haney said. “Ryan is boxing, he’d dominate in boxing.”

Haney was also asked about his opponent’s social media beef with O’Malley and why boxing pundits might think Garcia’s eyes may not be on the prize.

The undefeated 25-year-old doesn’t care which version shows of Garcia up in April, but he does expect the best Garcia to step into the ring with him.

“If he’s f***** up mentally, he’s f***** up mentally,” Haney said of Garcia. “If he’s playing mind games, tricks, antics … you’ve got to remember this guy’s an actor, a TikToker. He’s a YouTuber, I don’t take him serious.”

The question was also asked to Haney about an on-the-books MMA vs. boxing matchup, with former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou taking on Anthony Joshua March 8 in Saudi Arabia.

Haney admits he, perhaps, didn’t give Ngannou enough credit heading into his boxing debut against Tyson Fury, where Fury squeaked out a decision victory. This time around, Haney is giving Ngannou his proper respect. He still doesn’t think the PFL fighter will win, but also won’t be surprised regardless of what happens.

“The heavyweight division is just different,” Haney said. “[Ngannou] is a freak. [He dropped Fury with] one punch.

“I think he has that neutralizer, I think he’s very strong, he’s literally a freak. You can’t count him out. But I do think A.J. is going to win, yes, but [Ngannou] is just not somebody you can count out.”

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Sean O’Malley puts his bantamweight title on the line for the first time in the UFC 299 main event in a rematch with Marlon “Chito” Vera.  Vera handed O’Malley his only career loss at UFC 252 in August 2020, and O’Malley wants redemption.  

Former featherweight titleholder Alexander Volkanovski gave his prediction for the 135-pound title bout on his YouTube channel. 

“Who do I lean towards?  I lean towards Sean O’Malley.  I’m going to say pretty comfortably I say that,” said Volkanovski.  “They’ve already fight.  Right?  So you’ve got to give that respect where Chito’s already beat him.  Do I feel like he can do the same things to Sean?  I think that’s going to be hard.  I know he’s already beat Sean but I think Sean’s striking is high-level.  I think that it’s pretty underrated.”

For Volkanovski, it comes down to O’Malley’s striking.  

“I’m going to have to lean towards Sean O’Malley.  I think his striking is going to be too much.  I know that Chito is going to want to keep it standing.  I think Chito has to keep it standing.  Sean O’Malley is even dangerous on the ground.  I think he’s going to hard to take down,” said Volkanovski.  “I think Sean can give him problems even there.  He can throw some nice submissions off his back and he’s pretty creative there.”

“I think it’s going to be a standup fight, which is exciting.  You know Chito is going to bring it.  I just think the movement and that will be too much and I think knowing Sean O’Malley is going to look for the finish – He’s creative and has a good eye – I think it’s going to be a finish for Sean O’Malley.”    

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

UFC Vegas 87 is in the books, which means it’s on to the biggest combat sports weekend of the year! On Friday, Francis Ngannou faces off against Anthony Joshua in a boxing match in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. And then on Saturday, UFC 299 takes place, a fight card that has some wondering if it’s even better than UFC 300. It’s a big weekend coming up and some critical stuff just happened, so let’s talk about it.

Jairzinho Rozenstruik, King of the APEX

I’ll be honest, given how lackluster the main event was this past weekend, and the fact that it really didn’t mean much to the heavyweight division, I didn’t anticipate getting any questions about Rozenstruik vs. Shamil Gaziev. But this is easy so let’s knock it out.

The long and short of Saturday night is that Gaziev is not very good. That’s harsh, but it is what it is. Yes, he had a 12-0 record and scored a bunch of finishes, but the quality of competition was really bad prior to the UFC, and even Marin Buday is not exactly a world beater. When I did a breakdown of the most recent season of Contender Series, I put Gaziev in the “Just Another Guy” category and I stand by it. He’s a big dude who can hit hard and grapple some, but he’s 34 and has three minutes of cardio. He’s the same as Martin Buday and Augusto Sakai and Blagoy Ivanov and basically every other nondescript heavyweight.

For his many faults, Jairzinho Rozenstruik is an accomplished fighter with some ability. No, he’ll never be a champion, but he’s been consistently competing against quality competition and he only loses to the good fighters. He’s a perfect gatekeeper to the top 10, and on Saturday, he held the gate closed.

The Flyweight Title picture

Last week I was asked this question and my answer was simple: Brandon Royval could get it, but I think Muhammad Mokaev will get the next crack at Alexandre Pantoja if he wins at UFC Vegas 87. Welp, Mokaev won, but I don’t think he’s getting the title shot.

Full credit to Mokaev, he’s 23 years old and already one of the best fighters in the world in his weight class. And Alex Perez is a tough out to be sure. But that is not the type of performance that makes Dana White stand up and declare you next. So what does that mean for Pantoja? There are three possible outcomes.

1. Royval gets the title shot. I hate this outcome a lot and I hope it doesn’t happen, but it might be the most likely. He just got a win in the main event of a big card. So what if he got rinsed by Pantoja two months ago? This sport has the memory of a goldfish.
2. I’m just going to assume Amir Albazi cannot compete at UFC 301 given a neck injury forced him from UFC Mexico City and that seems tricky. But Manel Kape can. Would it be ridiculous to give Kape a title shot after blowing weight and not even fighting his most recent booking? Sure. But would it be better than Royval getting another shot so soon? I kinda think so. And when you add in that Kape is from Portugal and would have every single Brazilian wanting him to die, I honestly think this is a viable outcome.
3. Rumors have been swirling for months that Kyoji Horiguchi could be returning to the UFC. Do that. If I’m Dana White, Kyoji is getting a call today upping our offer and telling him he’s got an immediate shot at Pantoja in Rio. The only downside is that this is the best and coolest option, which means it probably won’t happen.

As for Pantoja headlining Brazil? No chance. Flyweights aren’t even allowed to headline most Fight Night cards. No shot the UFC makes its return to Brazil with Pants as the main. Pantoja vs. X will be the co-main event, and I would bet a lot of money that the UFC is hoping beyond hope that Jailton Almeida beats Curtis Blaydes so the main event can be Almeida vs. Tom Aspinall for the interim heavyweight title.

Steve Erceg

First, (Mike) Heck of a knockout from Erceg. That’s exactly what you wanted to see from him. He shook things up with his debut by immediately cracking the top 15 at flyweight, and now in his third UFC fight he put up a highlight. “Astroboy” is legit and there’s a world where a lot of us feel foolish for leaving him off our “Rookie of the Year” lists.

Second, one great performance does not surpass a bunch of them. Sure, Mokaev underwhelmed in context, but Alex Perez is also a much tougher test than Matt Schnell. Mokaev has not quite lived up to some of the lofty expectations placed upon him, and I have legitimate concerns about his long-term potential when he seems averse to actually damaging opponents, but the man has six UFC fights and four submissions. Erceg is still behind him.

Francis Ngannou, heavyweight boxer

I doubt it drops at all, honestly.

By just about any definition, Ngannou is playing with house money here. He got his fight with Tyson Fury and 95 percent of people assumed that would be it. One big payday and then he’s back to MMA. But he knocked Fury down and arguably won the fight (he didn’t, but people like to grade on curves), and now he has many more chances at boxing purses. And at the same time, nobody expects him to do it again, because it’s not reasonable to think so. Anthony Joshua is an elite heavyweight boxer. Francis is a rookie. If Joshua comes out and styles on him, then that’s just meeting everyone’s expectations.

I’d be pretty surprised if Joshua styled though. Don’t get me wrong, I expect Joshua to win cleanly, but I doubt he’s going to look all that flashy doing it. Ngannou is enormous, insanely durable, and packs the sort of power that demands respect, especially from a guy like Joshua who isn’t exactly bulletproof. I strongly suspect this fight ends up looking like a lot of veteran vs. up-and-comer fights where Joshua soundly out-boxes Ngannou for 10 rounds. A ton of jabs, pressure, and activity, all while prioritizing his own safety. Ngannou has a puncher’s chance; Joshua is going to take that away and win a workmanlike decision.

And while I’d be surprised if Joshua styled on Francis, I’ll be downright shocked if he sleeps him. One thing Ngannou does not get nearly enough credit for is his otherworldly chin. When have we seen him remotely hurt? Go watch the first Stipe Miocic fight again. Ngannou is completely gassed out after four minutes, and for the next 21, Miocic — renowned heavyweight puncher that he is — barely puts a mark on his face. If you’re dead tired and Stipe can’t put you out, I really don’t think anyone is going to do it in 12-ounce gloves.

Joshua by unanimous decision.

UFC 299 vs. UFC 300

There’s been a growing amount of support that UFC 299 is better than UFC 300, and to those people I have but one question for you: Who is your dealer? Because I need his number.

UFC 299 is a sick card. It’s a legitimately fantastic pay-per-view and the sort of stacked card you wish the UFC would do more often. But it’s not in the same ballpark as UFC 300. There’s been a pushback on 300 since the main event was far from the “knock your socks off insanity” that was promised, but it’s still a damn good fight. So let’s compare the two cards head to head.

Sean O’Malley-Chito Vera 2 vs. Alex Pereira–Jamahal Hill

Even. If you want to give an edge to O’Malley-Vera 2 on the basis of star power, sure. But it’s a rematch and Chito doesn’t really deserve this shot. Plus, Alex Pereira rocks.

Dustin Poirier–Benoit Saint Denis vs. Justin Gaethje–Max Holloway

I shifted the 300 bout order because this is damn near the same fight. These two bouts are 1A and 1B in preseason Fight of the Year voting, and the A and B can be either side. No advantage either way.

Kevin Holland-Michael ‘Venom’ Page vs. Weili Zhang-Yan Xaionan

Holland vs. Page will probably be a fun fight because of who they are, but any answer here other and the strawweight title fight is lunacy. Weili is one of the most exciting women in MMA and Yan is coming off her career-best performance. Clear advantage 300 and it’s only getting bigger from here on out.

Gilbert Burns–Jack Della Maddalena vs. Charles Oliveira–Arman Tsarukyan

We all love Burns and JDM, but be for real. Oliveira-Tsarukyan might be for a title fight and it is No. 2 in the preseason Fight of the Year voting. 300 is building a lead.

Petr Yan–Song Yadong vs. Jiri Prochazka–Aleksandar Rakic

Bantamweight is much better than light heavweight, so maybe 299 claws a little bit back here depending on who you are, but I’m not sure if you people have seen Jiri Prochazka fight. He is always the most exciting dude on a fight card. Even.

Curtis Blaydes-Jailton Almeida vs. Calvin Kattar–Aljamain Sterling

Kattar-Sterling is actually a sixth main card fight for UFC 300 which gives it a bit of a boost, but even without it, it’s still a walk. Blaydes-Almeida has a high chance of being boring. Calvin Kattar does not know what that word means but he’s pretty sure he hates it. 300 separating now.

Katlyn Cerminara (nee Chookagian)-Maycee Barber vs. Deiveson Figueiredo–Cody Garbrandt

HAHAHAHAHAHA. Stop the damn match! Seventh Round TKO victory for UFC 300.

Again, 299 is a fantastic card, and the top end is truly excellent. But top-to-bottom, UFC 300 is unparalleled. If we had gotten into the early prelims, guys like Josh Parisian are going had-to-head against Bobby Green and Jim Miller. It’s simply not a fair fight.

On paper, UFC 300 is the best fight card assembled in 20 years, if not ever.

Thanks for reading, and thank you for everyone who sent in Tweets (Xs?)! Do you have any burning questions about things at least somewhat related to combat sports? Then you’re in luck, because you can send your Tweets to me, @JedKMeshew, and I will answer my favorite ones! Doesn’t matter if they’re topical or insane, just so long as they are good. Thanks again and see y’all next week.

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