“You f**king hit a nerve!” UFC champ Sean Strickland drops homophobic slur after opponent mocks abusive father

Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis get into a heated argument during the UFC Seasonal Press Conference.


“You f**king hit a nerve!” UFC champ Sean Strickland drops homophobic slur after opponent mocks abusive father

Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis have a heated verbal altercation (via Imago/ YouTube)

UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland was the target of a personal assault from his next opponent, Dricus Du Plessis. The incident happened during the seasonal press conference. Du Plessis opted to insult Strickland’s unstable connection with his father. This elicited an emotional reaction from the outspoken fighter.

Du Plessis is scheduled to take on Strickland for the championship. He didn’t hold back when exposing his opponent’s emotional flaws. During the press conference, he made crude remarks regarding Strickland’s connection with his father. In the back and forth between the two, Du Plessis said this:

Bro, why are you so angry? You think your dad beat the sh*t out of you? Your dad doesn't have sh*t on me. I'm going to show you what it's like to get beaten. Every childhood memory you have is going to come back.
Dricus Du Plessis during the UFC Seasonal Press Conference
YouTube video

The remarks upset Strickland, who looked frustrated by the personal assault. Strickland reacted, declaring his intention to steal Dricus Du Plessis‘ ‘soul’ and using violent language in the process. The tension rose as Strickland used a homophobic slur to describe his opponent. This is what he had to say:

FS Video
I will take your f**king soul, you understand me? You f**king pu**y.Yeah, you f**king laugh you f**king f***ot...Yeah, you did hit a nerve, you f**king bi**h.
Sean Strickland during the UFC Seasonal Press Conference

This conversation adds a layer of intensity and personal hostility to the impending title bout at UFC 297. This assures a highly combustible environment inside Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena.

Fight fans react to Dricus Du Plessis and Sean Strickland’s back-and-forth exchange

The argument between Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis during the UFC’s seasonal press conference was intense. This not only piqued the interest of fight fans but also sparked a storm of reactions across social media platforms.

Fight fans react to Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis' heated argument
Fight fans react to Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis’ heated argument (via BVM Sports)

Fight fans and experts rushed to social media to share their thoughts on the heated encounter between the UFC middleweight champion and his challenger. Several fans were surprised to see Sean Strickland on the backfoot for the first time. Others felt the African fighter had delivered a low blow. Here are some of the reactions from fight fans: 

https://twitter.com/C_Hill93/status/1735828600538935404
https://twitter.com/metawoofer/status/1735836713761849603

Overall, online reactions emphasized the emotional and mental aspects of the pre-fight discussions. This has heightened the anticipation for Sean Strickland vs. Dricus Du Plessis’ UFC 297 title match.

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