UFC Champion Sean Strickland Blasts NFL as Soft While Praising Raiders’ Maxx Crosby at Johnny Manziel’s MMA Fight

Former Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel debuted in MMA with a win, defeating influencer Bob Menery in Las Vegas. But it was UFC Middleweight Champion Sean Strickland who made headlines at Brand Risk 14. Known for hot takes, the UFC fighter offered one at the event.

This one was a sharp jab at the NFL.

“The NFL is filled with a bunch of f—in p—–s,” Sean Strickland, per a clip shared by ShifftttyyyyQB1 on X. “… Back in the day, the NFL used to be a real man’s sport. Now, Maxx Crosby is holding down for everybody.”

This is not the first time Strickland has fired shots at the league. In February, after Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show, the middleweight champion attacked the NFL for inviting a “foreign” artist. During this rant, Strickland also claimed that the league had backed down from the ‘standards’ established in the past, when football was a lot more physical. Crosby, however, is an exception.

“Maxx Crosby is the only guy who’s not a p—y.”

The Las Vegas Raiders edge rusher was at the event to watch his friend, Manziel, make his MMA debut. Being a top NFL star, he had a lot of cameras on him, with BenDaDonn even asking him about his ethnicity. Of all the receptions he received at the event, he will feel Strickland’s is the most generous.

There might be a reason behind Strickland praising Crosby. The UFC Middleweight Champion had previously revealed that he and Crosby had exchanged blows during a friendly fight. Despite his hard punches, Crosby held his ground and even managed to land a check hook, giving Strickland a lip cut.

Crosby is a huge combat sports enthusiast, and incorporated them into his training regimen for the NFL. He’s also sparred with other MMA fighters like Dominica Cruz. UFC icon Dana White saw some great potential in the DE, and was hopeful he could make it in the sport in case he wanted to do something outside of the NFL.

Dana White once thought Maxx Crosby could be a UFC Champion

You read that right.

Crosby can take a punch and can land a mean one too, as has been evidenced in multiple videos from his training sessions. NFL fans have a good idea about how physical he can be, given the way he racks up sacks and tackles. White saw Crosby as a potential heavyweight champion by the year 2030 or 2031.

But the DE is not so keen on pursuing that idea. He is human, after all.

“They’re hilarious,” Crosby said of White’s suggestion in an interview with CBS Sports some time ago. “I’m not the type of person where, I’m never going to put a limit on what I do. I live one life, and I definitely have certain things I want to accomplish and things I want to do.

“…”[My] body’s been through a lot. But, if it makes sense at the time and if it’s in my heart and my soul that I want to go out there and go compete, it might just happen. You never know.”

Crosby will be well into his 30s when 2030 rolls around. We have already seen him being held back by injuries, as a failed physical had the Baltimore Ravens backing out of a trade for him. During the first day of the OTAs, Crosby sat out. But the spirit that made Strickland and White his fans is still evident.

Head coach Klint Kubiak said that Crosby is training every day and has too much energy to contain. He also remarked that if there’s no one around on a watch, the DE can give them a slip and take on more than he’s supposed to in training.

But whether or not Crosby swaps out the gridiron for the arena is something that only the Raiders DE can update us on in the future.