Dricus du Plessis reacts to Sean Strickland’s emotional outburst ahead of UFC 297 fight: ‘I’m glad he cried’
Reacting to a recent outburst of emotion from undisputed middleweight champion, Sean Strickland ahead of the pair’s title fight in Canada later this month at UFC 297, Dricus du Plessis claimed he was “glad” to see the outspoken titleholder in tears, and questioned his supposed hardened mindset as a result.
Strickland, the current undisputed middleweight champion, is slated to make his return to the Octagon at UFC 297 later this month in a trip to ‘The Great White North’ – in search of his first successful title defense.
Winning gold in the most unlikely of circumstances back in September, the outspoken Strickland turned in a one-sided unanimous decision win over two-time champion, Israel Adesanya at UFC 293 in a massie upset judging win.
And as for du Plessis, the promotional-perfect finisher earned his first shot at Octagon gold courtesy of a blistering win over former undisputed champion, Robert Whittaker last July during International Fight Week, laying waste to the New Zealander with a second round TKO at UFC 290.
Dricus du Plessis challenges Sean Strickland at UFC 297
Engaging in a recent brawl and scuffle in the crowd at UFC 296 last month with Strickland amid a war-of-words between the two, Pretoria native, du Plessis has claimed he was “glad” to see the champion in tears during a recent podcast appearance with comedian, Theo Von, where he recounted stories from his abusive childhood.
“It is what it is,” Dricus du Plessis said during an interview with MMA on Point. “I’m glad he (Sean Strickland) cried and got it out, it’s the end of that. I think we give him a lot more credit than he deserves in terms of mindset. I don’t think he thinks about anything.”
“I think he goes out there and he fights, he fights the way Sean Strickland fights,” Dricus du Plessis explained. “He always has and he’s an incredible fighter. I have a lot of respect for him as a fighter.”
Who wins at UFC 297 this month: Sean Strickland or Dricus du Plessis?
