Controversial UFC fighter calls Edmonton a 'trash can'
Sean Strickland is in Edmonton, and he’s not impressed with the city so far.
The MMA star is in the Alberta capital to participate in this Saturday’s UFC Fight Night at Rogers Place, which will feature Canadian Mike Malott in a headline bout against Joaquin Buckley. Strickland won’t be fighting in the event and will instead be cornering another fighter on the card.
The 35-year-old UFC Champion also expressed interest in attending an Alberta separatist rally set to be held at the Alberta Legislature on Saturday as well.
Strickland has not shied away from being outspoken throughout his career, and he continued to let his thoughts be known after arriving in Edmonton on Tuesday. At first, it seemed like he wanted to defend the city, posting on X that people who criticized Edmonton had never experienced a major American city.
The guys saying Edmonton is ghetto have clearly never been to a major US city..
— Sean Strickland (@SStricklandMMA) October 14, 2026
However, that tune changed on Wednesday morning, as Strickland had some harsh words to say about Edmonton’s downtown core.
“Well, update on Edmonton,” Strickland started. “Left downtown, and yep, this place is a trash can. Zombies everywhere… It’s not American I might have to kill a crack head bad, but it’s definitely a open drug market with zero police.”
Well update on Edmonton…..
Left downtown and yep this place is a trash can. Zombies everywhere…
Its not American I might have to kill a crack head bad but its definitely a open drug market with zero police
— Sean Strickland (@SStricklandMMA) October 14, 2026
Strickland seemed to take issue with the drug use in Edmonton and criticized the lack of law enforcement to deal with it. You could say that the two-time UFC Middleweight Champion did say it was better than most major U.S. cities, but using the word “trash can” to describe Edmonton is sure to ruffle some feathers among local residents.
That wasn’t all from Strickland about the city. After that initial post, he then posted a photo of a person who appeared to be under the influence of drugs, and a video of a person lying on the ground outside while he walked by.
Both the photo and video appear to be taken while Strickland was near Edmonton’s downtown.
“I’m fairly confident that man is dead, I gotta get out of here,” Strickland said in the video before laughing.
Pretty confident this man is dead or least freshly assaulted from the Crack head mumbling pic.twitter.com/OxuAPRh1AB
— Sean Strickland (@SStricklandMMA) October 14, 2026
While these social media posts are sure to stir some reaction from Edmontonians, you can’t say that this is out of character for Strickland. The California native is no stranger to being controversial, and has crossed the line on a number of occasions.
During a visit to Toronto in 2024, Strickland launched into a homophobic and anti-Canada tirade while speaking with the media.
In May, Strickland drew criticism for repeatedly using racial slurs while providing commentary for an amateur MMA event in Las Vegas. Before that, he used a homophobic slur to protest against Puerto Rican pop star Bad Bunny hosting the Super Bowl LX halftime show.