Apparently, being asked which celebrity you’d most like to fight is where Sean Strickland’s imagination takes him — and his answer was Elliot Page. Because apparently the UFC middleweight champion looked at the entire celebrity population and thought, yes, that guy.
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In a clip going viral, Strickland is asked, “Any celebrity you’d love to fight?” His answer comes almost immediately: “Elliot Page, that’s f****** all day long, that’s an easy dub. I’d beat the s*** out of him.”
Sean Strickland says if he could fight any celebrity he’d fight Elliot Page
“All day long, that’s an easy dub. I’d beat the sh*t out of him.” pic.twitter.com/jhatfOOZOg
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) September 14, 2026
The original full clip was even uploaded on his own Instagram account. And, well, at least he got the pronouns right?
Elliot Page has already had enough internet nonsense
Page is one of the most recognizable trans men in entertainment, which has also made him a frequent target of online transphobia and culture-war commentary. He came out as trans in 2020 and has continued to speak publicly about trans rights and LGBTQ+ visibility.
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So watching his name get casually volunteered as somebody a professional fighter would like to beat up is, at minimum, a particularly strange bit of celebrity discourse.
Sean Strickland is no stranger to controversy
Strickland is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the UFC’s middleweight division and is a two-time UFC Middleweight Champion. He has built a reputation for his brash public persona and controversial remarks, including comments that have drawn criticism for being misogynistic or anti-LGBTQ+.
The Elliot Page comment also comes after Strickland faced criticism over an AI-generated video depicting himself violently attacking Dylan Mulvaney in a fighting ring.
So this isn’t exactly the first time Strickland has found himself at the center of controversy involving LGBTQ+ people.
So… why Elliot?
That is the part nobody really knows. The question was simply which celebrity he would like to fight. Strickland didn’t explain why Page was his pick beyond calling it “an easy dub.”
And honestly, the mental image of a UFC champion being handed an unlimited celebrity fight menu and selecting Elliot Page is almost impressively random. Page, for his part, has not publicly responded to the comment.
The clip has nevertheless reignited discussion about the way trans celebrities can become convenient targets for violent jokes, particularly when their identities are already routinely dragged into online culture-war fights.
Which leaves us with one tiny silver lining in this deeply unnecessary hypothetical: Strickland apparently recognizes Elliot Page as a man.
Progress? Maybe. A normal way to spend your afternoon? Absolutely not.