Sean Strickland Buried Animosity and Calls for War in UFC 297 Clash with Dricus du Plessis
In a surprising turn of events, Sean Strickland has put aside his animosity towards Dricus du Plessis ahead of their highly anticipated clash at UFC 297. Just a few weeks ago, Strickland was involved in a brawl with du Plessis, diving over chairs to throw punches at him in the crowd during UFC 296. However, Strickland has now taken a different approach, urging the crowd in Toronto to cheer for his opponent on Saturday night.
This change of heart comes after Strickland threatened to stab du Plessis if he brought up his childhood trauma again, which was the exact subject that led to their previous altercation in December. Instead of directing his anger towards du Plessis, Strickland aimed his verbal attacks at former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya.
Strickland made it clear that he sees a stark difference between du Plessis and Adesanya, stating, “Here’s the thing about Dricus, he ain’t f****** Izzy — Dricus likes to fight.” He praised du Plessis for his fighting spirit and expressed his desire for a thrilling battle between them. “We’re going to be d*** to d***, nipple to nipple in that range f****** fighting,” Strickland exclaimed passionately. He further emphasized that he hopes they both leave the octagon bloodied and put on a show for the fans.
Despite the intense brawl and the pre-fight threats, Strickland clarified that he never harbored any real ill will towards du Plessis. Instead, he shifted the blame onto UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley, who initiated the uncomfortable trash talk during a separate press conference where all three fighters shared the stage. Strickland maintained that, apart from those incidents, he had no issues with his upcoming opponent. In fact, he commended du Plessis for managing to provoke such a strong reaction from him during their previous encounter.
Strickland made it clear that his aggression is not personal, stating, “Here’s the thing, it was never f****** personal. You had the cuck Sean O’Malley say some stupid s*** he knows nothing about. I go hard on everybody.” He expressed pride in his ability to maintain his character and acknowledged that du Plessis succeeded in pushing him to his limits.
Instead of perpetuating the animosity, Strickland extended a hand to du Plessis, symbolizing their agreement to put on an unforgettable show for the Canadian crowd on Saturday. “Real talk you guys, me and Dricus, we’re going to try to f****** kill each other for you guys,” Strickland declared. The middleweights shook hands, seemingly burying the hatchet between them.
However, the same cannot be said for Adesanya, who predicted that du Plessis would emerge victorious at UFC 297 and become the new middleweight champion. Strickland took this opportunity to remind Adesanya of their own fight and criticized him for his performance. “I could have taken Izzy down and beat his ass on the ground but I chose to stand with him like a man. What did he do the whole fight? Run away like a b****. Izzy, shut your f****** mouth,” Strickland fired back.
As the tension builds ahead of UFC 297, fans can expect an intense showdown between Sean Strickland and Dricus du Plessis. Strickland’s transformation from a brawling instigator to a fighter focused on delivering a memorable performance has added an intriguing layer to this matchup. With both fighters now seemingly on the same page, the stage is set for an explosive encounter that will undoubtedly leave a lasting impression on the Canadian crowd.
