Sean Strickland threatens to ‘stab’ Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 297 press conference
This weekend, Sean Strickland is gearing up for his inaugural defense of the middleweight title as he prepares to face Dricus du Plessis at UFC 297. The two fighters found themselves in a heated altercation in the crowd during UFC 296, triggered by comments made by Du Plessis about Strickland’s childhood. In response, ‘Tarzan’ recently issued a stern warning to ‘Stillknocks,’ cautioning him that any repetition of those comments during this week’s press conference might lead to dire consequences, as he threatened to stab him. During a conversation with Chris Curtis on their podcast, The Man Dance, the middleweight champion expressed his perspective on the situation.
“I actually talked to Dricus after that. And I was like, ‘Dricus.’ Because I like the guy. Me and him are going to have a f***ing war, we’re going to have a f***ing death match.”
“There is no other way that ends, you know. Someone’s getting knocked the f*** out,” Strickland said about his UFC 297 headliner. “So I actually sent him a f***ing message and I was like, ‘Dude, listen, Dricus. We’re going to try and murder each other but if you bring that sh** up again, I will f***ing stab you.'”
“I’m not saying I don’t want to fight you, Dricus. I’m not saying you’re not a good fighter. I’m just saying that that’s a line that when crossed, it transcends fighting.”
“If I go to Canada and you bring that up, well guess what? I’m going to go to jail, they’re going to deport me, and we spent eight weeks of training for no f***ing reason.”
Strickland will defend his middleweight title against Du Plessis in the main event of the UFC 297 pay-per-view (PPV), scheduled for this Saturday night (January 20, 2024) at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Adding to the anticipation, former 185-pound champion Israel Adesanya will be in attendance cageside, raising speculation about a potential setup for another middleweight title bout at UFC 300 in April.
