Martial artist Ryan Garcia is locked in a social media battle with former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland after he posted a video over the weekend trying to explain some of his bizarre posts.
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 doesn’t own his own cell phone and doesn’t have access to “my Instagram.” My card is locked.It’s really being used [of]”
Garcia’s social media accounts posted horrifying videos in which he claimed to be dead, sparking concern among fellow fighters, fans and family members.
But for some reason, that provoked Strickland, and the former UFC star ended up calling Garcia a “shithole,” sparking a social media war.
“God, I hate celebrities. Brother, you’re rich… They’re the kids in the salt mines, the kids dying of cancer begging to be left alive just one more day on this earth. And yet you’re having a mental breakdown on social media, you son of a bitch…” Strickland wrote about X.
Garcia further fired back at Strickland, referencing a sparring session with YouTuber Suniko and labeling Strickland a “bully.”
“If you know God, you will hate no one.” Garcia wrote back.. “You went on to take advantage of a streamer with no experience points. And you gave him a concussion. You think you’re doing a service, but you’re actually doing it in the name of a hero. He’s just a bully that came along.”
The keyboard sparring continued, with Strickland mocking Garcia and sarcastically asking, “Have enough people told you they love you?”
“Next time be a man and pull your mother and don’t push the post hahaha you damn bitch…” Strickland also wrote.
At that time, Garcia offered to take things offline and into the real world if Strickland was “serious” about “actually dealing with this like a human being.”
Strickland didn’t stop there, posting a video to his X account again mocking Garcia after he appeared to invite Garcia to Las Vegas to fight.
“Hey Garcia, brother, I just finished training.” he said in a 12 second video.. “I tried to kill all my friends. The demon is gone. I’m getting better. I hope you’re feeling better, brother. But hey, we can still fight to the death. It’s getting better. That’s nice.”
The controversy has garnered attention, but it doesn’t erase deeper issues of concern to Garcia’s family.
Although the boxer said he is fine, his ex-wife Andrea Serena expressed concern over his current condition on her Instagram Story and asked for prayers for him.
“We are not together. I am in contact with him and he may seem fine, but he is not,” she wrote. “I know in my heart that he is extremely depressed. This is not trolling. I am deeply concerned and so is his entire family. We are not involved in this matter. I hope he recovers because he hasn’t, but this is reality. Please pray for him.”
According to the Daily Mail, Garcia’s father Henry also admitted in an Instagram comment that “Ryan is fine” and that he was “just trolling in the wrong direction.”
Henry added that there is more to this story.
