UFC middleweight Sean Strickland has reiterated his stance after being accused of making homophobic comments.

In recent months, Sean Strickland has really come out of his shell within the MMA landscape. In addition to being a top 185-pound contender, he’s also showing off a different side of his personality – with many fans being split down the middle as to the legitimacy of it.

Some of his remarks in interviews have caused significant controversy, including some comments about members of the LGBT community. Now, ahead of his return to the Octagon tomorrow night, Strickland has spoken candidly about the issue during his pre-fight media obligations.

“By the way, when I make fun of gays, dude, I f***ing love gay men,” Strickland explained. “Gay men are awesome. Lesbians, not so much. Lesbians hate me. Lesbians look at me like the guy that hurt them; I’m not the guy, I’m not your father. But gay men, gay men look at me like they wanna f*** me, and I respect that. You know, they compliment me, they slide in my DMs, I get some dick pics every now and then; I respect that s***. So, I’m not homophobic.”

Quotes via MMA News

While some will want to draw attention away from the problem, it’s definitely going to be something that continues to follow Strickland around for as long as he decides to keep up these antics.

On Saturday, however, his focus will shift to Jack Hermansson as he attempts to move a step closer to a title shot.

What do you think of Sean Strickland and his personality in the mainstream media? Is he being serious or is he exaggerating his beliefs in order to gain more attention? Let us know your thoughts on him as a fighter and a self-promoter down in the comments, BJPENN Nation!