'You guys think you're bada**': Sean Strickland receives hate, support from Navy SEALs after comparing training regimens

UFC fighter Sean Strickland elicited strong responses after posting a video in which he said that United States Navy SEALs would not be able to handle his training regimen.

Strickland, a recent UFC middleweight champion, is no stranger to controversial rants. This includes his recent video post comparing his fitness to that of military special operations training.

"I don't think there's one f**king Navy SEAL who could survive a week training with me. I'm kind of sick of seeing it 'cause like you guys think you're bada**," Strickland said in a video from inside a car.

"Come train with me for a week, I'll show you what's up. I'll f**king break you," he added.

Strickland's words garnered a response from actual Navy SEALs, both good and bad.

Former SEAL Jimmy Watson posted a video in direct response to Strickland's, mocking the fighter for comparing the training. Watson stated that while Strickland's training could get people hurt, a SEAL training exercise could result in death.

"Sean, we get it, you're a bada**," Watson began. "Your training partners get millions of dollars, and they actually live. My swim buddies, they die every single year. Do you have any idea what that means? We've already proven that any kind of beatdown will not break us, but our training will simply just end your career, Sean."

"I'm talking about skin grafts on the thigh, Sean. You talk about taking people's souls from their body? Well, me and my boys we've actually taken a lot of real souls from people, you know what I'm saying bro?" Watson continued.

The former SEAL added that Strickland's training "doesn't kill dudes every single year," ending with "advice" for the UFC fighter: "Stay in the Octagon, keep fighting for that next purse and U.S. SEALs, we'll keep fighting for freedom, brother."

Watson's video has been viewed on Instagram approximately 550,000 times.

Another former Navy SEAL, Andy Stumpf, had a different response, however. He said that he spoke directly with Strickland after the video and exchanged professional words. Stumpf said that Strickland even offered to have the former military member attend his training camp or a fight.

Stumpf described that both Strickland and Watson were playing characters.

"He's playing a character. It's part of who he is and what he does inside of the UFC. If you think that the SEAL — or the guy who was a SEAL — that responds to him is also not playing a character, then I don't know what to tell you."

Stumpf wasn't pleased with Watson's depiction of his trade either, calling it "one of the worst representations of the SEAL Community possible."

"That guy ... yeah he needs to shut the f**k up," he added.

Stumpf told Patrick Bet-David that the overall branding from Watson needed to be dialed down in terms of dramatization, and that presenting a Navy SEAL's role in such a manner involved far too much romanticizing.

"Stop being a clown on Instagram," he requested. "The only reason that he is responding in the manner that he is, trying to draw more attention from the video that Sean created."

Stumpf also pointed toward a 2022 SEC ruling, which ordered Watson to pay a "disgorgement of $316,401.48 and prejudgment interest of $59,533.38."

Watson was involved with the late anti-virus creator John McAfee and was accused of concocting a "scheme to profit from a crypto asset security by secretly accumulating a large position in McAfee's accounts, touting that security on Twitter while intending to sell it, and then selling McAfee's holdings as the price rose."

Watson was therefore barred from "participating, directly or indirectly, in the issuance, purchase, offer, or sale of any digital asset security," except for in regard to his own personal assets.

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