Tag: Sean Strickland

“Not That Guy” Sean Strickland Criticized By UFC Veteran for Failing to Deliver on “Fight to the Death” Promise

"Not That Guy" Sean Strickland Criticized By UFC Veteran for Failing to Deliver on "Fight to the Death" PromiseAt UFC 312 in Sydney, Sean Strickland faced heavy criticism for his performance against reigning middleweight champion Dricus Du…

"Not That Guy" Sean Strickland Criticized By UFC Veteran for Failing to Deliver on "Fight to the Death" Promise

At UFC 312 in Sydney, Sean Strickland faced heavy criticism for his performance against reigning middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis. The fight ended in a dominant unanimous decision victory for Du Plessis, with scorecards reading 50-45, 50-45, and 49-46.

Sean Strickland is Not That Guy

Sean Strickland pre-fight promised to fight “to the death.” Afterward, he was accused of lacking urgency during the bout. Particularly as Du Plessis controlled the pace and inflicted significant damage, including breaking Strickland’s nose in the fourth round. He did not push the pace, change his game plan, or dig deep when it was needed most.

Former fighter and analyst Din Thomas was among the most vocal critics. Speaking on the ESPN MMA Show, Thomas stated, “We just have to admit it now, Sean Strickland is not who he says he is. We want him to be something, he wants to be something, but he’s not that guy. He’s not the guy that will go ‘to the death’, he didn’t even go deep.”

Din Thomas

The criticism stemmed from Sean Strickland’s inability to adjust his strategy or push forward aggressively despite trailing on the scorecards. His performance was described as tentative and lacking the intensity expected from a former champion.

While UFC President Dana White praised Strickland’s professionalism and resilience during the fight, others, including Du Plessis himself, noted moments where Strickland appeared rattled and failed to stand his ground. The defeat marked Strickland’s second loss to Du Plessis and raised questions about his ability to reclaim the middleweight title. Meanwhile, Du Plessis solidified his status as one of the division’s top fighters with a commanding performance that left no doubt about his championship credentials.

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Khamzat Chimaev & Nassourdine Imavov Among Fighters Unimpressed By UFC 312 Main Event

Dricus Du Plessis and Sean Strickland ran it back in Saturday’s UFC 312 headliner, and it’s safe to say the rematch didn’t thrill the MMA masses. The pair’s second dance went down this weekend in Sydney, Australia, 13 months on from Du Plessis securing a narrow split decision to capture the middleweight crown. The South […]

Dricus Du Plessis and Sean Strickland ran it back in Saturday’s UFC 312 headliner, and it’s safe to say the rematch didn’t thrill the MMA masses.

The pair’s second dance went down this weekend in Sydney, Australia, 13 months on from Du Plessis securing a narrow split decision to capture the middleweight crown.

The South African made good on his promise to show more evolution in the time since the first meeting, dominantly outpointing a gun-shy Strickland across five rounds in the UFC 312 main event at the Qudos Bank Arena.

As is often the case, “Tarzan” promised fans a war on fight night but failed to deliver, with his approach even garnering boos from the crowd in attendance at some points in the fight.

And it was far from just the locals in the arena who were bemused by how the fight played out at UFC 312. Among the critics online were a pair of top 185-pound contenders vying to compete for the gold next — Khamzat Chimaev and Nassourdine Imavov.

Many believed Chimaev was deserving of the first shot at Du Plessis in 2025. While “Tarzan” got the better of Paulo Costa in a lackluster 15-minute contest last June, “Borz” emphatically submitted Robert Whittaker in Abu Dhabi four months later.

Imavov, meanwhile, staked his claim for a first championship opportunity last weekend in Saudi Arabia, where he knocked out former two-time champ Israel Adesanya.

Khamzat Chimaev & Nassourdine Imavov Among Fighters Unimpressed By UFC 312 Main Event

Dricus Du Plessis and Sean Strickland ran it back in Saturday’s UFC 312 headliner, and it’s safe to say the rematch didn’t thrill the MMA masses. The pair’s second dance went down this weekend in Sydney, Australia, 13 months on from Du Plessis securing a narrow split decision to capture the middleweight crown. The South […]

Dricus Du Plessis and Sean Strickland ran it back in Saturday’s UFC 312 headliner, and it’s safe to say the rematch didn’t thrill the MMA masses.

The pair’s second dance went down this weekend in Sydney, Australia, 13 months on from Du Plessis securing a narrow split decision to capture the middleweight crown.

The South African made good on his promise to show more evolution in the time since the first meeting, dominantly outpointing a gun-shy Strickland across five rounds in the UFC 312 main event at the Qudos Bank Arena.

As is often the case, “Tarzan” promised fans a war on fight night but failed to deliver, with his approach even garnering boos from the crowd in attendance at some points in the fight.

And it was far from just the locals in the arena who were bemused by how the fight played out at UFC 312. Among the critics online were a pair of top 185-pound contenders vying to compete for the gold next — Khamzat Chimaev and Nassourdine Imavov.

Many believed Chimaev was deserving of the first shot at Du Plessis in 2025. While “Tarzan” got the better of Paulo Costa in a lackluster 15-minute contest last June, “Borz” emphatically submitted Robert Whittaker in Abu Dhabi four months later.

Imavov, meanwhile, staked his claim for a first championship opportunity last weekend in Saudi Arabia, where he knocked out former two-time champ Israel Adesanya.

Dricus Du Plessis Bloodies and Batters Sean Strickland En Route to Dominant Victory – UFC 312 Highlights

Dricus Du Plessis Bloodies and Batters Sean Strickland En Route to Dominant Win - UFC 312 HighlightsDricus Du Plessis battered and bloodied Sean Strickland’s nose en route to a dominant victory in the UFC 312…

Dricus Du Plessis Bloodies and Batters Sean Strickland En Route to Dominant Win - UFC 312 Highlights

Dricus Du Plessis battered and bloodied Sean Strickland’s nose en route to a dominant victory in the UFC 312 headliner on Saturday night.

The opening round was fairly conservative with Strickland looking to establish his jab while Du Plessis mixed up his kicks, targeting the challenger’s midsection and lead leg. Things pretty much went that way for much of the first four rounds as Du Plessis stayed in steady control of the scrap.

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In the fourth round, things took a turn for the worse for Strickland after ‘DDP’ caught him with a nasty overhand right that connected clean and broke the challenger’s nose on impact. That prompted Strickland to immediately retreat as Du Plessis went into headhunter mode.

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To his credit, Strickland fended off Du Plessis’ attack and made it to the fifth and final round. Unfortunately, Strickland wasn’t able to put up much of a fight throughout the final five minutes, leading to another dominant victory for the reigning middleweight world champion.

Official Result: Dricus Du Plessis def. Sean Strickland via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 49-46)

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check out highlights from Dricus Du Plessis vs. Sean Strickland at UFC 312:

‘Thought He Was Going To War?’ – Fans React As Sean Strickland Gets Nose Broken In Lopsided Loss To Dricus Du Plessis At UFC 312

The first fight between Dricus Du Plessis and Sean Strickland was a close battle that could have fallen either way, ending in a controversial decision for the South African despite UFC CEO Dana White feeling “Tarzan” won the fight. But the rematch between the two was not close at all. Du Plessis took complete control […]

The first fight between Dricus Du Plessis and Sean Strickland was a close battle that could have fallen either way, ending in a controversial decision for the South African despite UFC CEO Dana White feeling “Tarzan” won the fight. But the rematch between the two was not close at all.

Du Plessis took complete control in a lackluster, dominant decision win over Strickland to retain the UFC middleweight championship in the main event of UFC 312.

The opening round saw both men delivering single shots. Despite previous acknowledgement about the risks of close rounds, Strickland tried to use his jab for a lead, but the champ kept distance and strategically landed whenever he saw an opening.

The American landed some strong strikes early in the second round, but “Stillknocks” completely took over the output of that frame from there, seemingly putting the former champion in an early 2-0 hole.

The defending champion continued to take advantage of a lack of activity from the former one during round three. The big moment of the fight, however, happened in the middle of the fourth round when a right hand from Du Plessis connected harshly, breaking Strickland’s nose. Blood poured out as the challenger looked to up his power to get back into the fight.

In spite of nearly getting caught in a guillotine during an unadvised rush in, Du Plessis stayed the course and landed from distance, with his output far exceeding Strickland’s.

The South African nearly swept the scorecards, with two 50-45s and a 49-46 in his favor to keep the gold.

Dricus Du Plessis Retains In Dominant Outing Over Sean Strickland

Du Plessis won the middleweight title in the original fight with Strickland last year at UFC 297 and retained the gold with a submission of Israel Adesanya at UFC 305.

Strickland, meanwhile, defeated Paulo Costa at UFC 302. He had won the middleweight title in upset fashion when he defeated Adesanya at UFC 293 in September 2023.

VIDEO: UFC 312 Post-Fight Press Conference After Dricus Du Plessis, Zhang Weili’s Headline Wins

The UFC 312 pay-per-view recently concluded, and MMA News has you covered with the post-fight press conference in Sydney. The Qudos Bank Arena played host to Octagon action on tonight, as the mixed martial arts leader continued its PPV schedule for 2025 with a lineup that featured two championships and a host of local names. […]

The UFC 312 pay-per-view recently concluded, and MMA News has you covered with the post-fight press conference in Sydney.

The Qudos Bank Arena played host to Octagon action on tonight, as the mixed martial arts leader continued its PPV schedule for 2025 with a lineup that featured two championships and a host of local names.

Of note were victories for Dricus Du Plessis, Zhang Weili, Jake Matthews and Tallison Teixeira.

And before attention turns to UFC Fight Night: Cannonier vs. Rodrigues at the Apex next weekend, there remains some business to attend to backstage at UFC 312.

Shortly after the main event’s ending, Dana White will appear in front of the media to reveal the recipients of the Fight of the Night and Performance of the Night bonuses before answering questions. The victorious fighters from UFC 312 will also take queries from the press in reaction to their performances.

With that said, see below for a live stream of the UFC 312 post-fight press conference via the UFC’s official YouTube channel, commencing at 1:15 AM ET.