“Dana himself said I won” – Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis go back and forth on immediate rematch to settle score from UFC 297

Sean Strickland lost to Dricus Du Plessis by split decision at UFC 297.

“Dana himself said I won” – Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis go back and forth on immediate rematch to settle score from UFC 297

Sean Strickland wants a rematch against Dricus Du Plessis (via Imago)

Sean Strickland wants a rematch against UFC champion Dricus Du Plessis. He replied to Du Plessis’ post on X and named dropped Dana White. Strickland wrote that even the UFC CEO had him winning in their previous fight.

Dricus Du Plessis had put a poll up asking his fans on social media who he should fight next: Sean Strickland or Israel Adesanya. Strickland replied to his post on X and demanded a rematch.

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He wrote:

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Here's the thing…. Dana himself said I won. The numbers said I won… Let's settle this…. I respected you before I've respected you after but this needs to be settled once and for all.
Sean Strickland on X

According to his post on X, Du Plessis wanted his fans’ opinions on who he should fight for his first title defense. The South African specifically wrote that it makes no difference to him to fight either of the two. According to him, the result would be the same.

Dricus du Plessis defeated Sean Strickland by split decision in Toronto at UFC 297. He became the first South African-born UFC champion in that fight. The two had a bitter exchange of words before the fight, including a brawl in the crowd at UFC 296 which became viral on social media. UFC CEO Dana White had said at the post-fight press conference that he believed Sean Strickland won the fight.

Will Dricus Du Plessis fight Israel Adesanya?

Du Plessis is coming off a win over Strickland at UFC 297. Although the fight was a close one, Du Plessis was able to walk away with the win via split decision. After the fight, Strickland called for a rematch, but Du Plessis said that he was not interested in fighting him again.

Dricus Du Plessis wants to fight Israel Adesanya in Africa
Dricus Du Plessis wants to fight Israel Adesanya in Africa (via MMA Weekly)

Instead, Du Plessis expressed interest in a fight with Adesanya. Du Plessis had said that a fight with Adesanya would be a “dream matchup” and that it would be “the biggest fight in African history.”

Adesanya has not yet responded to Du Plessis’ callout. But it is likely that he will be interested in the fight. They were supposed to fight anyway before Adesanya announced his surprise hiatus. However, Izzy’s coach revealed last month that he is ready to make his comeback anytime this year. Therefore it will be interesting to see who Du Plessis fights for his first title defense.

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