Breaking – Sean Strickland set to headline UFC 297 against Dricus du Plessis in title fight in January

Sean Strickland set to headline UFC 297 in title fight against Dricus du Plessis in JanuaryAn undisputed middleweight championship fight between division titleholder, Sean Strickland, and streaking number two ranked middleweight challenger, Dricus du…

Sean Strickland set to headline UFC 297 in title fight against Dricus du Plessis in January

An undisputed middleweight championship fight between division titleholder, Sean Strickland, and streaking number two ranked middleweight challenger, Dricus du Plessis, is set to take main event honors at UFC 297 on January 20. – with the pay-per-view event currently targeted to take place in Toronto, Canada.

Strickland, the current undisputed middleweight champion, most recently headlined UFC 293 in a reworked headliner against former two-time middleweight gold holder, Israel Adesanya – landing a spectacular unanimous decision upset win to clinch the middleweight title at the first time of trying.

As for South Africa native, du Plessis, the surging middleweight contender has been sidelined since he featured on the main card of UFC 290 back in July during International Fight Week, landing a second round TKO win over former undisputed middleweight champion, Robert Whittaker.

Sean Strickland meets Dricus du Plessis in UFC 297 headliner

UFC CEO, Dana White confirmed the booking of a middleweight championship fight between Sean Strickland, and Dricus du Plessis during a video posted on his official social media today.

Initially expected to defend his middleweight title against undefeated contender, Khamzat Chimaev after the Chechen’s close, majority decision win over former undisputed welterweight champion and former pound-for-pound number one, Kamaru Usman last month in the co-main event of UFC 294, Chimaev has been sidelined through a torn hand ligament, requiring the use of a supportive brace for a number of weeks. 

In the midst of a stunning run of six consecutive victories since he landed in the Octagon back in 2020, during his brief tenure with the UFC, du Plessis has landed notable victories over former welterweight title challenger, Darren Till, as well as perennial contender, Derek Brunson, and the above-mentioned former champion, Whittaker. 

As well as Sean Strickland’s title fight with Dricus du Plessis, UFC 297 is also set to feature a vacant bantamweight title fight between former title challenger, Raquel Pennington, and Brazilian contender, Mayra Bueno Silva in ‘The Great White North’. 

Who wins at UFC 297: Sean Strickland or Dricus du Plessis?

Khamzat Chimaev tipped to struggle in UFC title fight with Sean Strickland: ‘He loses every day of the week’

Khamzat Chimaev tipped to struggle with Sean Strickland he loses every day of the weekExpected to challenge for undisputed middleweight gold in his return to the Octagon following a title-eliminator win at UFC…

Khamzat Chimaev tipped to struggle with Sean Strickland he loses every day of the week

Expected to challenge for undisputed middleweight gold in his return to the Octagon following a title-eliminator win at UFC 294 earlier this month, the undefeated Khamzat Chimaev has been backed to likely fall short in his challenge against champion, Sean Strickland, by the surging, Dricus du Plessis. 

Chimaev, who debuted at number nine in the official middleweight pile off the back of his return to the division earlier this month, landed a close, majority decision win over former undisputed welterweight champion and pound-for-pound number one, Kamaru Usman at UFC 294 back in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

Khamzat Chimaev tipped to fall short in title fight with Sean Strickland

And expected to challenge for undisputed gold against Strickland in his return to the Octagon as he continues to recover from a hand ligament tear suffered in his win over Usman, Khamzat Chimaev has been tipped to struggle any time he fights Strickland, according to South African contender, du Plessis.

“When you look at this, I have one or two options,” Dricus du Plessis told Sherdog during a recent interview. “The first thing I can say is a little bit of a jab is Khamzat’s (Chimaev) hand is broken, right? So, he should be ready to fight in seven weeks or he forfeits his title shot because that’s what happened to me. I wasn’t ready to fight in seven weeks with a broken foot.”

“If you want to give Khamzat the title shot, go right ahead?” du Plessis explained. “Because the Khamzat that fought this weekend loses to Sean Strickland every day of the week.” 

Himself sidelined since he featured on the main card of UFC 290 during International Fight Week back in July, du Plessis turned in a title-eliminator win over former titleholder, Robert Whittaker in a stunning second round TKO win.

Expected to fight former champion, Israel Adesanya at UFC 293 back in September, du Plessis was forced from the championship clash due to a lingering injury. 

Who wins in a future title fight: Sean Strickland or Khamzat Chimaev?

Kamaru Usman plans middleweight stay after UFC 294 loss: ‘I’ll take Dricus du Plessis at UFC 300, why not?’

Kamaru Usman confirms plan to stay at middleweight after UFC 294 wants Dricus du Plessis fightSuffering a close majority decision loss to Khamzat Chimaev in his middleweight divisional bow tonight in the co-main event…

Kamaru Usman confirms plan to stay at middleweight after UFC 294 wants Dricus du Plessis fight

Suffering a close majority decision loss to Khamzat Chimaev in his middleweight divisional bow tonight in the co-main event of UFC 294, former undisputed welterweight champion, Kamaru Usman has announced plans for a continued stay at 185 pounds, weighing up an immediate turnaround against the number one ranked, Dricus du Plessis.

Usman, a former undisputed welterweight champion and pound-for-pound number one under the banner of the promotion, made a hasty return to the Octagon tonight on just 11 days’ notice – facing-off with the undefeated Chimaev in a middleweight division leap for the former gold holder.

Slumping to his third consecutive loss following a pair of championship fight defeats to three-time foe, Leon Edwards, Auchi native, Usman rallied well in both the second and third rounds against Chimaev tonight at UFC 294 – however, failed to mount enough offense to traverse a 10-8 round in the first frame

And announcing plans for a middleweight divisional stay following his title eliminator loss to Chechnya naitve, Chimaev tonight in the Middle East, Usman, who revealed he rejected a prior offer to fight the former over the course of five rounds instead of three – admitted he regretted that decision.

Kamaru Usman welcomes Dricus du Plessis fight at UFC 300

In terms of of immediate plans for a sophomore fight at the middleweight limit, Usman claimed he would be interested in fighting South African challenger, du Plessis in what may come as another championship-eliminator – potentially at UFC 300 in April of next year.

“Kamaru Usman sounds ready to stay at middleweight if Khamzat Chimaev gets Sean Strickland next for the middleweight title,” MMA Fighting reporter, Damon Martin posted on X. “”I’ll take Dricus du Plessis [in the] co-main [event of] UFC 300. Why not?”” 

Do you think Kamaru Usman can find success at the middleweight limit after UFC 294?

Chael Sonnen says MMA Hour host Ariel Helwani would ‘Barely qualify as a man’ in scathing tirade

Chael SonnenThree-time UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen didn’t take kindly to being called out by The MMA Hour host Ariel Helwani and No. 2 ranked middleweight Dricus Du Plessis. On September 9, two-time titleholder Israel Adesanya surrendered the 185-pound crown in a surprisingly lopsided loss to Sean Strickland in the UFC 293 main event. Originally, Dricus […]

Chael Sonnen

Three-time UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen didn’t take kindly to being called out by The MMA Hour host Ariel Helwani and No. 2 ranked middleweight Dricus Du Plessis.

On September 9, two-time titleholder Israel Adesanya surrendered the 185-pound crown in a surprisingly lopsided loss to Sean Strickland in the UFC 293 main event. Originally, Dricus Du Plessis was slated to be the man to face ‘The Last Stylebender’ in the evening’s headliner, but the South African declined the opportunity, citing a foot injury following his second-round knockout of Robert Whittaker at UFC 290 eight weeks prior.

Chael Sonnen called Du Plessis’ injury into question, noting that the fighter had no noticeable limp when he left the cage following his last big victory. ‘Stillknocks’ didn’t take kindly to the insinuation that he was faking or embellishing the injury and took Sonnen to task during an appearance on Helwani’s show.

“What a dumb thing to say, you know? With all that adrenaline in your body, just knocked out Robert Whittaker,” Du Plessis said in response to Sonnen’s comments. “Just faced off with Israel Adesanya, you think I’m going to walk with a limp? I don’t know what kind of man you are, but I’ll fake that limp every day.”

Helwani joined in on the Chael Sonnen slamming, adding that the former middleweight contender often says “stupid things.”

Getting wind of the comments, Chael Sonnen was quick to snap back at both Helwani and Du Plessis during a recent episode of his Beyond the Fight series on YouTube.

“Ariel [Helwani] and Dricus Du Plessis teamed up. The two of them on little ol’ me. I wasn’t even there,” Sonnen said. “I wasn’t even there to defend myself, but had I been, it still would have been two-on-one. The two of them had called me stupid. That’s not a very nice thing to say. Particularly to your intellectual superior. It’s a reckless thing to say. Particularly to your rhetorical superior, but they did it anyway.

And when I watched the piece and Dricus says that I said he skipped the Izzy fight because he had a bad foot. Which he did say and admitted to saying, and then says that his evidence that his foot was not hurt was me watching him walk out of the cage without a limp, which is true. I did watch him walk out of the cage and he did not have a limp. So I’m confused at the part where Chael is stupid.

“So then I get a little bit confused about this and maybe it’s the simple… Maybe I don’t know what the word stupid means. I haven’t actually looked it up. I must tell you I haven’t actually looked it up, but maybe it means something different. Does it mean accurate? It can’t mean inaccurate because Dricus and I are saying the same thing. He walked out of that cage without a limp. That’s what we’re saying. He skipped the Adesanya fight because of a hurt foot.

We’re both saying the same thing. Dricus then goes further and he tells Ariel… And here’s the part that you get upset. [He goes], ‘I don’t know what kind of a man you are.’ Now, I don’t know if he’s talking about Ariel, who would barely qualify as a man, or if he was talking to me. That’s the part I don’t know about.”

Chael Sonnen suggested that Du Plessis’ words would likely start a fight in the streets whilst taking a dig at the South African’s lack of star power and media attention, adding that he’s the only person currently talking about him.

“There’s some things that are fighting words, and every man knows if you tell another man, ‘I don’t know what kind of man you are,’ if you even bring the word ‘man’ into it, you’re now in a fight,” Sonnen said. “Every man knows that, but I don’t know if he said it to me. I don’t really wanna fight with Dricus,” Sonnen said.

“I don’t think anybody’s been more helpful to Dricus. I can guarantee you nobody’s talking about Dricus today except for me. When I do talk about people, I do try to tell the story accurately, and Dricus is saying that he told the media that if he was medically fit to fight that he would, and I am telling you he did not. That did not happen, that’s false.”

Chael Sonnen Calls Out Ariel Helwani for Bringing Himself Into the Argument

Chael Sonnen also bashed the streaking standout for what he perceives to be a fake tough guy act put on by Du Plessis.

“You’re such a tough man that you’re going to fake not limping, doesn’t get you any credit after a fight,” Sonnen said. “There’s no bravado that is built into leaving the ring faking a limp. The macho guy that you’re claiming to be, hides the limp on his way to the fight, not on his way out of the fight.”

Chael Sonnen then briefly turned his attention back toward Ariel Helwani, adding that he was more upset by Helwani’s verbal jab than anything Du Plessis had said.

“I don’t have any kind of a problem with Dricus, I think my bigger problem is with Ariel,” Sonnen said. “I don’t like that Ariel said, ‘Yeah, Chael says a lot of stupid things, including about me.’ He said that [and] he brought himself into it. What stupid things do I say about Ariel? Every now and then I’ve teased Ariel for pretending that he watches soccer, he doesn’t watch soccer. I’ve teased Ariel for pretending he watches darts, he doesn’t watch darts. I’ve teased Ariel for pretending he’s a basketball fan, nobody’s a basketball fan. But I don’t know what I said that was stupid” (h/t Sports Illustrated).

Dricus Du Plessis would have KO’d Israel Adesanya in the first round at UFC 293: ‘He wouldn’t have gotten up’

Du PlessisDricus Du Plessis says Israel Adesanya would not have made it out of the first round had it been him and not Sean Strickland challenging for the middleweight world title at UFC 293. Strickland shocked the world on Saturday night, scoring a decisive unanimous decision victory over ‘The Last Stylebender’ to claim his first piece […]

Du Plessis

Dricus Du Plessis says Israel Adesanya would not have made it out of the first round had it been him and not Sean Strickland challenging for the middleweight world title at UFC 293.

Strickland shocked the world on Saturday night, scoring a decisive unanimous decision victory over ‘The Last Stylebender’ to claim his first piece of UFC gold in The Land Down Under. Going into the bout on relatively short notice, Strickland was a massive 7-to-1 underdog, but the often outspoken contender looked practically unbeatable, executing a picture-perfect game plan that saw him light up the two-time titleholder throughout the 25-minute affair.

Strickland nearly ended things early in the opening round after landing a right hand that sent Adesanya crashing to the canvas. ‘Tarzan’ swarmed the former champ and unleashed a flurry of strikes, but was unable to land the finishing blow.

Appearing on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, top-ranked contender Dricus Du Plessis suggested that if it had been him and not Strickland in the UFC 293 main event, Adesanya would not have made it past the first round.

“He wouldn’t have gotten up from that flurry after Strickland dropped him,” Du Plessis said. “100%. If I fought that version of Israel Adesanya… Do you think Robert Whittaker would have beaten that version of Adesanya? Yes. That fight went a round-and-a-half with me and Whittaker. There’s no way [Adesanya] would have seen the second round.”

Dricus Du Plessis Promises Israel Adesanya a Shot at the Middleweight Title

Initially, Dana White suggested that a rematch between Strickland and Adesanya was the move to make, but the UFC CEO backpedaled on that suggestion while addressing media members following Tuesday’s edition of Dana White’s Contender Series. Fight fans online overwhelmingly suggested that Strickland should defend his title against the division’s No. 1 ranked fighter, Dricus Du Plessis.

“The belt is what interests me, Du Plessis told Helwani. “After that, we can do the Izzy fight. Right now, Sean Strickland has the gold and I want to fight Israel Adesanya, but not as bad as I want to fight for the belt. So I’ll make the promise that when I win that belt, [Adesanya] will be the first defense, 100%. But right now, Israel Adesanya is irrelevant to me. All my focus is on the guy with the title and that’s the guy I want to fight next.”

Adesanya and Du Plessis have been at odds ever since ‘Stillknocks’ suggested that he would one day become the UFC’s first true African world champion. That comment struck a chord with the Nigerian-born ‘Stylebender’ leading to a racially charged face-off following Du Plessis’ second-round knockout of Whittaker in July.

Clearly, the two men still have some beef to settle inside the Octagon, but for now, Du Plessis is only focusing on whoever holds the gold.

Dricus Du Plessis calls for Sean Strickland showdown ahead of ‘Amateur’ Israel Adesanya after UFC 293 shock

dricus du plessisUFC middleweight Dricus Du Plessis calls for title shot against Sean Strickland, labels Israel Adesanya’s performance as ‘amateur’. UFC 293 saw one of the biggest upsets of recent memory as Strickland dropped and outstruck Adesanya over five rounds. The American would earn a unanimous decision victory and now puts himself as the number one target […]

dricus du plessis

UFC middleweight Dricus Du Plessis calls for title shot against Sean Strickland, labels Israel Adesanya’s performance as ‘amateur’.

UFC 293 saw one of the biggest upsets of recent memory as Strickland dropped and outstruck Adesanya over five rounds. The American would earn a unanimous decision victory and now puts himself as the number one target for the rest of the division. 

The victory also puts a dampener on the Du Plessis Vs. Adesanya matchup, which had grown to be a feud filled with bad blood. Du Plessis’s own shock victory over Robert Whittaker earlier this year put it him as the UFC’s No.1 ranked 185 lber’. It was originally Du Plessis who was meant to be facing Adesanya last Saturday, but the quick turnaround from the Whittaker fight after suffering an injury would be too soon.

Dana White has made it clear that he is unhappy that du Plessis did not accept the fight and that Adesanya Vs. Strickland rematch could be next – Du Plessis still has a strong case for being the next title challenger. 

Dricus Du Plessis calls Israel Adesanya ‘amateur’ 

Making his case via Twitter, Du Plessis called for the Strickland fight next but also had to throw an Adesanya dig in there. 

“Me and Strickland had the biggest upsets of 2023 so let’s settle this like men, I’m ready. After that Adesanya can get a hiding in Africa I don’t want to fight the amateur that fought on Sat. I want to beat the best Adesanya, take some time and get your shit together first,” said Du Plessis.

Strickland likes to keep active and with barely a scratch from his latest fight, expect him to make a reasonably quick turnaround – potentially against Du Plessis?

Who wins, Dricus Du Plessis or Sean Strickland?