Strickland & Du Plessis bicker over whether head clash caused that cut

Adam Miller

In a riveting turn of events, the verbal sparring between Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis seems to have reignited.

The UFC 297 bout witnessed Strickland’s attempt to defend his middleweight title against Du Plessis. The event culminated in an intense showdown at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Despite the high stakes and fierce competition, Du Plessis emerged victorious after a five-round match. Bruce Buffer declared that two of the three judges gave the match to Du Plessis, making him the current UFC middleweight championship.

After the match, the two displayed mutual respect. But a resurgence of tension is evident.

In a recent post, Strickland reiterated his earlier assertion that he and Du Plessis clashed heads. He claimed that this alleged headbutt was the sole reason Du Plessis seized the 185-pound title.

“I didn’t take the cowards way out and tell the doctor I couldn’t see and got a no contest…. The only reason why you took a round from me is because I couldn’t see.. I won that fight, the world knows I won that fight……. The belt they gave you will never make you a champion, enjoy….”

“They had to stitch through muscle to get it closed. Thank you to everyone your support has really kept my head up high through all this, grateful forever.”

Dricus replied sarcastically on Twitter and wrote: “Why don’t you cry about it… AGAIN.”

Post UFC 297, UFC CEO Dana White expressed confidence that Strickland and Du Plessis will compete again. While assuring fans of an eventual reunion in the octagon, White stopped short of immediately confirming a second bout.

After the win, Du Plessis called out Israel Adesanya for a match. Adesanya has been on a hiatus from MMA after losing his title to Sean Strickland. Fans are now speculating whether Adesanya will return to compete against Du Plessis and take back his title.