Sean Strickland lambasts Justin Gaethje and Ali Abdelaziz, cites UFC icon Conor McGregor's past remarks

Sean Strickland has directed a barrage of verbal attacks against Justin Gaethje and Ali Abdelaziz. 

"Tarzan" notably included a reference to combat sports megastar Conor McGregor's remarks regarding Abdelaziz's reported affiliations with terrorist organizations.

Sean Strickland reignites war of words against Justin Gaethje and Ali Abdelaziz after UFC Freedom 250

Heading into UFC Freedom 250 earlier this month -- the first major professional combat sports event to be held at the White House in Washington -- Sean Strickland launched a volley of criticism against Justin Gaethje. 

Strickland condemned his fellow American fighter, Gaethje, for supposedly supporting incumbent U.S. president Donald Trump and the U.S. alliance with the nation of Israel. His comments came amid the ongoing geopolitical tensions between the United States of America and Israel on one hand and Iran on the other. 

Strickland referred to Gaethje by using the Jewish term 'goy' several times. While the Hebrew and Yiddish term 'goy' generally implies nation or people, the consensus is that its usage as a discriminatory pejorative is common among antisemitic groups. 

Additionally, Strickland made an allusion to Trump's alleged association with the infamous Epstein List and the criminal syndicate led by the late Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted American s*x offender and accused human trafficker suspected of trafficking minors. 

Gaethje hit back at him by suggesting that he wasn't interested in the geopolitical and miscellaneous elements associated with the UFC White House event. Moreover, Strickland also targeted Gaethje for his longstanding business association with Dominance MMA management's founder, the Egyptian-American Ali Abdelaziz. 

Considering the aforementioned variables at play, Strickland has now renewed his feud against them after UFC Freedom 250. Taking to X, Strickland wrote, "Bro f**k Justin.." 

Incidentally, after UFC veteran Dustin Poirier's recent arrest, an X user's post comprised a collage of MMA personalities' mugshots after their arrests. One of the mugshots was that of Ali Abdelaziz. Strickland addressed the same and wrote, "Bro is that ALI?! F**king terrorist." 

In another X post, Strickland implied that, unlike Gaethje, who's long been managed by Abdelaziz, he'd never hire the latter as his manager: 

"Let me tell you why Goythje is a b*tch, and it pains me because I like him. His manager Ali was arrested for being a f**king terrorist then snitched on his terrorist boys. He could offer me a billion dollars to manage me and id tell him to get f**ked because I'm an American." 

Let me tell you why Goythje is a bitch, and it pains me because I like him.

His manager Ali was arrested for being a fucking terrorist then snitched on his terrorist boys

He could offer me a billion dollars to manage me and id tell him to get fucked because I'm an American

— Sean Strickland (@SStricklandMMA) June 23, 2026

Sean Strickland cites Conor McGregor's remarks regarding Justin Gaethje's manager Ali Abdelaziz, jabs at Donald Trump

Former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor had labeled Ali Abdelaziz a "terrorist snitch" back in 2018 during the buildup to his fight against Abdelaziz's client Khabib Nurmagomedov. The Washington Post highlighted McGregor's assertions about Abdelaziz, with the Irishman's claims leading to many fans and experts delving deep into the MMA manager's past. 

Earlier today, Sean Strickland seemed to hark back to McGregor's remarks, which, in 2018, had noticeably drawn significant attention to Abdelaziz's litany of legal issues in America. Here in 2026, Strickland signaled that McGregor's comments made him aware of Abdelaziz's alleged extremist affiliations.

Strickland tagged McGregor and noted, "Since @TheNotoriousMMA outed him the hatred grew deep." 

For context, Abdelaziz has had a long history of run-ins with the law, including public altercations with fighters like Dillon Danis. More importantly, Abdelaziz is often accused of having been a double agent in the world of espionage. 

An MMA fighter himself with a 1-3 professional mixed martial arts record, Abdelaziz was said to have been recruited by the NYPD (New York Police Department) and later by the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation).

The U.S. authorities reportedly utilized him to infiltrate the Muslims of America group, which was said to be linked with the deemed Islamic extremist group, Jamaat al-Fuqraa/Jamaat ul-Fuqraa.

However, the American law enforcement agencies eventually suspected that Abdelaziz was serving as a double agent for them and the reported religious extremist groups. 

That aside, Abdelaziz subsequently moved on from his life as a reported informant and went on to become one of the most prominent MMA managers, with clients like Islam Makhachev, Kayla Harrison, Justin Gaethje, and other UFC bigwig athletes. 

Fast-forward to the here and now, and Sean Strickland has gone all out in his criticism against Abdelaziz. Taking aim at Abdelaziz's public support of Donald Trump, he wrote, "Because hes a wh*re... he was a terrorist.. an informant and now s**ks off trump. Thats what wh*res do." 

Because hes a whore... he was a terrorist.. an informant and now sucks off trump. Thats what whores do

— Sean Strickland (@SStricklandMMA) June 23, 2026

Elsewhere, Sean Strickland insinuated that Abdelaziz and Gaethje would support any religion or group if paid. 

Presently, reigning UFC middleweight champion Strickland appears to be on a collision course with Khamzat Chimaev in their potential rematch.

As for Justin Gaethje, he's fresh off a TKO win over the previously-undefeated Ilia Topuria at UFC Freedom 250. Gaethje is now being pursued by lightweight contenders such as Charles Oliveira and Arman Tsarukyan for his UFC lightweight title. 

 

Check out the screenshots of some of Sean Strickland's X posts about Justin Gaethje and Ali Abdelaziz below: