Fighter Ryan Garcia ended up in a social media battle with former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland after posting a video trying to explain his bizarre posts over the weekend.
Strickland appeared to challenge Garcia to a fight by the end of the exchange, telling Garcia, “Las Vegas my man…. roll through.”
It all started after Garcia posted a video explaining that he wasn’t in possession of his phone and he didn’t have access to “my Instagram. My cards are locked. I’m being really taken advantage [of].”
A scary video had been posted to Garcia’s social media accounts that he claimed he was dead, which raised concerns among fellow fighters, his fans and his family.
But that set off Strickland for one reason or another, leading to the former UFC star to call Garcia a “f–king p—y” and igniting a social media war.
“God I hate famous people. Bro you are f—ing RICH…. They’re kids in salt mines, kids dying of cancer begging for one more day on this earth and you’re having a mental break down on social media.. You f–king p—y…” Strickland wrote on X.
Garcia proceeded to fire back at Strickland, referencing his sparring session with YouTuber Sneako and labeling Strickland a “bully.”
“If you knew God you wouldn’t hate anyone,” Garcia wrote back. “You went on and Took advantage of a streamer who was someone with no exp. And you gave him a concussion. You think you are doing a service but really you are just a bully coming in the name of a hero.”
The keyboard sparring continued as Strickland mocked Garcia and sarcastically asked, “Did enough people tell you they love you?”
“Next time just be a man and pull the mother f–ker don’t press post haha f–king woman…” Strickland also wrote.
That was when Garcia offered to take things offline and into the real world if Strickland was “serious” in “actually handling this like men.”
Strickland didn’t stop there or after seemingly inviting Garcia to Vegas to fight him, he posted a video to his X account again mocking Garcia.
“Yo, Garcia, bro I just got done training,” he said in the 12-second video. “I tried to kill all my friends. The demons are gone. I feel better. Bro, I hope you feel better man. But hey, we can still fight to the death. I hope you feel better.”
While the back and forth became the spotlight, it doesn’t take away from the more serious issue that Garcia’s family are concerned over.
While the boxer said he was alright, his ex-wife Andrea Celina expressed concern over his current state, asking for prayers for him in an Instagram story.
“We are not together and i’ve been in contact with him and he may seen fine but he is not,” she wrote. “I know in my heart he is being heavily oppressed. This is not a troll, I’m genuinely concerned and so is all his family members. We are not part of any of this and want him to get better but this IS REAL. Pray for him.”
In Instagram comments Garcia’s father, Henry, also confirmed that “Ryan is ok,” according to the Daily Mail, and that he was “just trolling the wrong way.”
Henry added that there was more to the story.
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