“Winner gets the N word pass” – Sean Strickland vs Dricus du Plessis title fight announcement from Dana White leaves fans in frenzy

MMA Fans react to Sean Strickland's maiden title defense against up-and-coming contender Dricus Du Plessis.

“Winner gets the N word pass” – Sean Strickland vs Dricus du Plessis title fight announcement from Dana White leaves fans in frenzy

Sean Strickland vs. Dricus Du Plessis announcement leaves fans in frenzy (via Imago)

Both Khamzat Chimaev and Dricus Du Plessis were promised the title bout after their recent fights. However, Dana White recently announced that Sean Strickland, the middleweight champion, will defend his championship against Dricus Du Plessis. This is a highly anticipated fight set to highlight UFC 297 on January 20 in Toronto. 

The UFC had planned an instant rematch between Strickland and Israel Adesanya, but Adesanya decided to take a hiatus from professional fighting. This opened the door for Du Plessis. He got his championship opportunity by knocking out former champion Robert Whittaker in July and has a 20-2 record. Dana White announced the bout and this is what he had to say:

In January, we are doing Sean Strickland vs. Dricus Du Plessis
Dana White via X
YouTube video

Strickland, who has a 28-5 record, will be attempting his maiden title defense after defeating Israel Adesanya in September. Despite Strickland’s recent surge to fame with a three-fight victory streak, his path to the middleweight title appeared difficult only a year ago when he suffered back-to-back defeats to Alex Pereira and Jared Cannonier.

FS Video

His amazing comeback, however, concluded in an upset victory over Adesanya, which led to his championship title.

The fight between Strickland and Du Plessis promises to be exciting. Strickland will be looking to defend his middleweight championship and Du Plessis wants to grasp the opportunity and claim the title for himself.

Fans react to Sean Strickland vs. Dricus Du Plessis for the middleweight title championship

The news of Sean Strickland‘s first championship defense against Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 297 in Toronto shocked the MMA world. MMA fans, fighters, and analysts alike were astonished by this surprise announcement.

Fans react to Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis's middleweight championship bout
Fight fans react to Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis’s middleweight championship bout (DAZN/Sports Brief)

Fight fans aired their thoughts on social media sites and MMA forums, generating a buzz that resonated across the online MMA world. This is what fight fans had to say:

https://twitter.com/realruebenking/status/1721629300745461939?s=20

The MMA community awaits additional developments in this regard. Fight fans are waiting for official statements from the UFC or Dricus’s team to shed light on the matter and how this sudden announcement came to be. This fight would be an exciting matchup for fight fans to witness.

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