“It’s gonna be a f****ng war,” Sean Strickland boldly declares Dricus Du Plessis bout poses tougher challenge than Khamzat Chimaev

Sean Strickland weighs in on Dricus Du Plessis being a tougher rise-up contender than Khamzat Chimaev, before UFC 297.

“It’s gonna be a f****ng war,” Sean Strickland boldly declares Dricus Du Plessis bout poses tougher challenge than Khamzat Chimaev

Sean Strickland adds gravitas to Dricus Du Plessis' reputation, leading up to bout (Source: IMAGO)

UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland shocked the world at UFC 293, with his win over two-time middleweight champion Israel Adesanya. The unanimous decision win has been considered one of the biggest upsets and match turnover in recent history. Now the fighter aims to do the same against Dricus Du Plessis. Strickland squares off against him at UFC 297, in Toronto, on Jan. 20, 2024.

Du Plessis, coming off a massive upset TKO of Robert Whittaker at UFC 290 in July, was to get Strickland’s shot at Adesanya. Unfortunately for him, an injury to his foot prevented him from competing. Strickland has, however, commended the fighter and the challenges he poses. He has even ranked the fighter above Khamzat Chimaev. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Strickland said:

I think Dricus is like so awkward he’s good. Where it’s like, you know, I’m a million times better than him, I spar guys he’s fought, I know who he is. But he’s so awkward he’s good. It’s gonna be a f*****g war. He’ll be a tougher fight than Chimaev...
YouTube video

Chimaev recently defeated former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman by majority decision. This marked his fateful return to the middleweight division. The “Borz” went up to #8 on the official UFC ranked list. But he, however, remains without a substantial victory in the division yet. Strickland has criticized him for not being deserving enough. He thinks that Chimaev gets his popularity because he sells more tickets.

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Leading up to the matchup with Usman, CEO Dana White had affirmed the winner facing Strickland. Conversely though, Strickland’s manager at Iridium Sports, Lance Spauder, reportedly informed MMA Mania that the Chimaev fight “never came up” for UFC 297.

Video clip of Sean Strickland sparring three guys goes viral

Sean Strickland, the UFC middleweight champion, is notoriously famous for his feats outside the scope of normalcy. The fighter is robustly outspoken in his demeanor. He is infamous for his controversial takes on topics of global politics, geopolitical struggles, sensitive issues, transgender debate, and so on.

The middleweight champion is also primely recognizable for his definitive striking and combative skills. Strickland is set to face off against South African Dricus Du Plessis, currently the official #2 contender. Recently, a video of the 185lbs champion went viral. In the video, he was sparring three guys at once.

Sean Strickland sparred three guys at the same time.
Sean Strickland sparred with three guys at the same time (Source: X)

Strickland and his fighting style have shocked many fans and peers in the past. So much so, that it has even earned the labels of sitting outside the norm and commended upon. The videos see him handling himself pretty well against the opponents, with well-executed takedowns.

It has garnered the label of being ‘outside normalcy’ from fans, saying that this is the most specific “Strickland” thing that the fighter could do.

The reigning middleweight champion faces Du Plessis, in his maiden title defense. Strickland faces him on Jan. 20 at the Scotiabank Arena, in Toronto. In the co-main event, Raquel Pennington and Mayra Bueno Silva face off for the vacant bantamweight position.

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