“Nothing changes with me,” Ahead of UFC 297, Sean Strickland throws GAMEPLAN away on how he fights Dricus Du Plessis

UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland reveals his gameplan ahead of his much anticipated fight against Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 297.

“Nothing changes with me,” Ahead of UFC 297, Sean Strickland throws GAMEPLAN away on how he fights Dricus Du Plessis

Sean Strickland is not excited by the thought of keeping his belt (via Imago)

Sean Strickland is prepping for his much-awaited showdown against Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 297. It will be his first title defense. The duo had plenty of heated moments leading up to the fight. Recently, Strickland laid out his game plan in an interview with Megan Olivi on ESPN MMA. Here is what happened:

The reporter asked Strickland if he had any idea or game plan on how he would win this fight against Dricus DuPlessis. To this, Sean Strickland responded and said: 

I mean nothing changes with me, I like to box. It's in the pocket. It's Philly Shell. It's just f****** hard fighting man. Just twenty-five minutes of I'm gonna hit you in the face try not to get hit. Hopefully, you don't knock me out I try to knock you out.
Sean Strickland via ESPN MMA
YouTube video

Strickland did not look like he was anxious about any particular outcome of the fight. He said it was already decided and only the Gods know who wins the fight. Strickland said he only knew that he worked hard and he was ready to go to war in that octagon.

FS Video

As for his future plans- they were pretty simple. Sean said he hoped to win, fight more, and make more money. He ended the interview by saying he would sell his soul for it, expressing his love for fighting. Dricus Du Plessis and Sean Strickland will feature in the main event at UFC 297. They will fight at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Canada. It is a title fight for the middleweight championship belt which Sean Strickland took off from Israel Adesanya at UFC 293.

Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis cross paths ahead of UFC 297

The UFC Embedded: Vlog Series gives fans an in-depth look at the lives of fighters. Especially ahead of a significant showdown at a UFC event. In the latest edition of this series for UFC 297, fans caught a glimpse of an interaction they never expected.

Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis had an unexpected meet-up at the Athlete hotel in Toronto
Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis had an unexpected meet-up at the Athlete Hotel in Toronto (via X)

The video shows Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis having a brief, awkward encounter at the Athlete Hotel in Toronto. This is just days before their much anticipated UFC 297 middleweight bout. Strickland waited for Du Plessis to arrive. They shook hands and briefly chit-chat while Strickland thanked him for understanding and the two went their way. Only a month ago, the two had a massive brawl in the stands at UFC 296.

The video of the brawl went viral on social media. Strickland had attacked Du Plessis for allegedly making comments about his past which he has been very open about. Strickland even threatened to stab Dricus Du Plessis if he mentioned his traumatic past again. Now this latest interaction between the two opponents creates an interesting dynamic ahead of the upcoming showdown. It will be interesting to see what happens in the octagon at UFC 297.

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