“Taking this fight 100% serious” – Sean Strickland teams up with rival promotion champ Johnny Eblen ahead of UFC 297 title defense

Sean Strickland will defend his middleweight title for the first time at UFC 297.

“Taking this fight 100% serious” – Sean Strickland teams up with rival promotion champ Johnny Eblen ahead of UFC 297 title defense

Sean Strickland and Johnny Eblen (Via IMAGO)

Sean Strickland has garnered the attention of the MMA community by teaming up with Bellator’s middleweight champion, Johnny Eblen. This unusual occurrence is in preparation for his upcoming title defense at UFC 297. The partnership between Strickland and Eblen, who currently holds the Bellator middleweight title, adds an intriguing element to the story surrounding the highly anticipated event.

The move came suddenly, given the typically heated competitiveness and animosity between fighters from various promoters. Sean Strickland is noted for his unconventional style both inside and beyond the cage. He appears to leave no stone unturned to get his hand raised at his first title defense. This collaboration with Eblen, the current Bellator middleweight champion, indicates his desire to work on all his weak points.

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Strickland’s fight against Dricus Du Plessis is just a week away. He is going into this fight with a lot of bad blood after the seasonal press conference comments made by Du Plessis. Du Plessis is coming off a spectacular win against Robert Whittaker. Moreover, he has been able to get inside Strickland’s head by using his childhood trauma against him. With the fight right around the corner, MMA enthusiasts will be waiting in anticipation.

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This unconventional collaboration has aroused speculation about how Sean Strickland may benefit from Eblen’s unique views and observations. Both fighters bring unique styles and talents to the table. This might result in the creation of novel techniques that will catch opponents off guard.

Fight fans react to Sean Strickland training with Bellator middleweight champion Johnny Eblen

Sean Strickland recently teamed up with rival promotion champion Johnny Eblen ahead of UFC 297 against Dricus Du Plessis. This has sent shockwaves through the MMA community, eliciting a broad spectrum of emotions from fans across the world. 

Fight fans react to Sean Strickland trainibg with Johnny Eblen
Fight fans react to Sean Strickland training with Johnny Eblen (via Imago/X)

Social media became a war for opinions, with fans expressing anything from enthusiasm and curiosity to skepticism and even disbelief. Some fight fans believed that Strickland was dead serious for this fight. Others believed that he should take it easy now as fight week approaches. Here are some of the reactions from fight fans:

https://twitter.com/stooize100/status/1746284621765964104

The buzz produced by this surprising partnership has undoubtedly increased the excitement and anticipation surrounding UFC 297. Fans are eager to witness how this uncharted territory will unfold inside the Octagon.

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