Sean Strickland may have lost his title at UFC 297, but will it matter to all the fans he’s gained over the past six months?
UFC 297 went down in front of over 18,000 rabid MMA fans in Toronto, but it was a tough night for Canadian MMA.
While the home country women went 2-0, every single male Canadian lost their fight. They went 0-7, and the oxygen was largely sucked out of the building by the time Mike Malott fumbled a seemingly locked up win in the last 30 seconds.
But the crowd at Scotiabank Arena persevered to the main event, where they still exploded with passion when Sean Strickland made the walk to defend his UFC middleweight title against Dricus Du Plessis. They booed Du Plessis through the introductions, leaving no doubt where their loyalties lied. And they popped for every strong “Tarzan” moment across five rounds.
Unfortunately, it was another bout that ended in disappointment for the crowd. Strickland would lose to Du Plessis via split decision, 48–47, 48–47, and 47–48 (watch the highlights here). His attempts to matador Du Plessis with nothing but a stiff jab and the occasional overhand right kept him from getting blitzed early. In the end, though, “Stillknocks” managed to ramp up the pressure and break through Sean’s defenses in the later rounds.
It’s a similar sort of fight that Strickland has waged in the past, often to unimpressed reactions from fans. When he headlined two Fight Nights back to back at the UFC Apex to kick off 2023, there was no love for his style. All that changed after he beat Israel Adesanya in September. Suddenly people started appreciating his underdog story and brash persona.
Unlike that ‘fraud’ Colby Covington, Sean is an authentic asshole, and that’s resonated in the spotlight.
At UFC 297, fans watched in rapt attention as he did the same thing he always does: stay at a distance and jab. It’s no longer boring when it’s your boy doing it to upset favorites. And Strickland is definitely America’s boy … Canada’s too, from the look of it.
The big question now is whether these new fans continue to care now that Sean Strickland no longer holds the UFC middleweight title. Just because he’s no longer champ doesn’t mean he’s lost relevance as a needle mover. It may have taken his historic upset over Israel Adesanya to earn him the appreciation of fans, but we don’t think that will disappear after tonight’s close split decision loss in Toronto.
He’s survived scandals and cancel attempts, he can survive this loss … if the UFC doesn’t decide he’s more trouble than he’s worth. Will he end up headlining UFC Apex cards again, tucked away from big events where he has less chances of causing international incidents? Or will the promotion acknowledge the clear wave of fan interest and keep pushing him as the unlikely star he has become?