During UFC 296, Sean Strickland and Dricus du Plessis got into a fight, which drew the attention of the mixed martial arts community. The two competitors are due to compete against one another for the middleweight title at UFC 297, which will take place in January. In order to build up for the battle, they attended the press conference for the UFC 2024 Season earlier this month.
In the course of the media event, they exchanged some angry words, during which Du Plessis brought up Strickand’s father, which caused him to become agitated. The pair was forced to sit two rows apart from one other at UFC 296 the following day, but they were caught trading blows despite being separated by that distance.
Gilbert Burns, who was sat next to Sean Strickland, has now disclosed the champion’s initial response upon entering the arena and seeing Dricus du Plessis so near to him. Burns was seated next to Strickland.
Burns had a recent appearance on the JAXXON PODCAST, which is hosted by Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, a former champion of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
“When Sean arrived, he came and he kind of looked at [Du Plessis], and I believe that [Sean] is already thinking, ‘Man, sh*t.'” After that, he stared directly at me, and then he told me, “Oh, you brought your wife and your children.” I responded with a “Yes.”
Ongoing burns included:
And Sean went on to say, ‘This freaking dude is right there.’ ‘And what?’ I asked in response. ‘I might do something with this man,’ Sean remarked. ‘I might do anything?’ That was before the combat, when he entered the arena. He was there before the fight. The idea had already been floating around in his thoughts. Following that, he stated, “However, your family is present.” I promise that I will let you know in advance if I take any action. However, I presumed that he was joking. He then turned his attention to me and exclaimed, “Now!” when things began to go from bad to worse.
Dricus du Plessis’ team believes he will run through Sean Strickland, says Daniel Cormier
Following the victory that Sean Strickland achieved against Israel Adesanya at UFC 293, there were inquiries as to whether or not ‘Tarzan’ was a more capable fighter than the fans had previously credited him with being. He dominated Adesanya for five rounds on his way to a decision victory, and he will be defend his championship for the first time against Dricus du Plessis at UFC 297.
However, according to Daniel Cormier, who spoke to members of Du Plessis’ crew during the UFC 296 event, they have now expressed their thoughts on the impending fight among themselves.
He stated that the South African camp is certain that ‘Stillknocks’ will prevail in Strickland, and he described their confidence as follows:
They are of the opinion that the fact that he is able to get through Sean Strickland is an afterthought. They are of the opinion that he is so far ahead of Sean Strickland that it will not be challenging to compete with him. I am at a loss to comprehend how you could possibly watch the most recent fight [against Adesanya] and feel that way.
