The New UFC Middleweight Champion, Dricus Du Plessis, recently shared the details of his post-match conversation with Shawn Strickland following UFC 297. “StillKnocks” was victorious that night, claiming the middleweight title from Strickland in a highly anticipated and thrilling match. The match lived up to fans’ expectations, featuring an exciting battle. Both fighters displayed great flexibility, leaving Sean bloodied and bruised. UFC CEO Dana White said after the fight that there are no immediate plans for a rematch with Sean Strickland.
Dricus revealed his post-fight conversation
Recently, in an interview, Du Plessis revealed the post-fight conversation with Strickland and said, “He came up to me in the cage straight after the fight, before they announced me as the new champion. And I went over to him and I shook his hand and I said, ‘You’re a warrior, well done, it was a great fight.’ And he said, ‘No, you definitely beat me. You deserve it, you won that fight.”
The former Champion reflected on the situation
Sean Strickland shared his candid reaction to the split decision loss against the South African fighter on his YouTube channel. After returning to the locker room with his team, Sean revealed that once that eye opened, he couldn’t see anything. Reflecting on the situation, he humorously compared himself to Chris Curtis and emphasized the challenges in the MMA world. Subsequently, some members of his corner suggested a headbutt as the cause of the cut, due to which he had compromised vision during the match. Blaming an accidental headbutt for his cut in the mid-fight, Strickland has consistently called it a catalyst for his defeat.
Strickland on Instagram
Addressing the situation on Instagram after UFC 297, Strickland wrote that he didn’t take the coward’s way out and told the doctor he couldn’t see, hoping to get a no-contest. Strickland stated that the only reason his opponent took a round from him was because he couldn’t see. The former champion asserted that he won that fight and the world knows this too. He further wrote, “The belt they gave you will never make you a champion, enjoy… They had to stitch through muscle to get it closed.
