Sean Strickland will be more than just a casual observer for UFC 305.
That’s because “Tarzan” could be next in line for a middleweight title shot. Dricus Du Plessis, who squeaked past Strickland with a decision win at UFC 297 in Toronto, makes his first 185-pound title defense against former champion Israel Adesanya in the UFC 305 pay-per-view (PPV) main event this weekend in Perth.
Strickland defeated a “crumbled” Adesanya at UFC 293 last year in Sydney.
“In my mind, he never really lost the belt,” Strickland’s head coach, Eric Nicksick, told MMA Fighting. “It was such a close fight against Dricus. He dominated Izzy. I think if Izzy wins that fight that’s an easy rematch, Izzy’s gonna wanna get that revenge. If Dricus wins, I think we put that [Izzy rematch] to rest and give Sean the opportunity to avenge that loss. So, both of them makes sense to me. I think Sean has a claim at the next shot at that belt and sit on it. These guys fight next week, so we can fight by November or December.’’
If Strickland is gonna “sit on it” he may be sitting a long time, according to Du Plessis.
The promotion may opt to give the winner of Robert Whittaker vs. Khamzat Chimaev the next crack at the 185-pound crown. “The Reaper” battles “Borz” as part of the upcoming UFC 308 card in Abu Dhabi, assuming Chimaev doesn’t self destruct (again). It should be noted that Whittaker has losses to both Du Plessis and Adesanya.
The decision may come down to Strickland or Chimaev … unless they first fight each other.