“WWE-style, Fake punching…” Sean Strickland vs Dricus du Plessis’ viral crowd fight was STAGED at UFC 296, claims former middleweight champ

The last UFC 296 event has fans and analysts still talking. This is not just about the fights but also about an interesting event that occurred outside the Octagon. The brawl between Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis has sparked debate, with former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker claiming the fight was staged for entertainment purposes.

Whittaker stated his skepticism about the incident on his MMArcade Podcast. He emphasized Sean Strickland’s unique attitude to the scenario, implying that it was a prepared performance. This is what he had to say:

I thought it was staged, mate, honestly. Because it was weird. It was weird the way it happened. You saw the way Strickland was like, ‘Move aside, please.’ Makes sense, but then he jumps in like WWE style. The way he was punching, like fake punching to the back of Dricus. Maybe it was just for entertainment, and which case, you can’t really give him anything for it. I don’t know. It’s a bit silly.

Robert Whittaker via MMArcade Podcast

During the event, Strickland and Du Plessis had a heated exchange of words, which led to the incident. When Strickland, the UFC middleweight champion, rushed over his seat to tackle Du Plessis, a major clash broke out. The fight was captured on camera and published on social media, attracting attention and raising suspicions about the scuffle’s legitimacy.

Staged incidents in combat sports are not wholly novel since organizers occasionally employ planned events or perspectives to increase interest and garner attention. However, such situations are often unexpected and spontaneous in the setting of a live UFC event.

Fight fans react to Robert Whittaker’s take on the brawl between Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 296

The recent brawl between Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 296 sparked a flood of emotions from fight fans and fighters alike. Former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker fueled the fire by implying that the brawl was staged for entertainment purposes.

Some fight fans cherished the idea, agreeing with Whittaker’s take on the situation. Some other fans felt that there is an inherent difficulty in staging anything if Sean Strickland is involved. Others felt that Whittaker was starting to become a conspiracy theorist. Here are some of the reactions from fight fans:

Whether it was a natural outpouring of emotions or a deliberate piece of entertainment, the brawl succeeded in keeping the MMA fans interested and talking about the incident. Guess we will never know the truth behind this incident.

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