UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland of the United States revealed how he feels about his next opponent, South African Dricus du Plessis, who he will fight at UFC 297 on January 21 in Toronto, Canada.
Strickland told ESPN:
Sean Strickland
He’s f****** awkward. It’s like when you’re that level of awkward, you just do weird s*** and it works. He’s tough, he fights hard, I mean f***. His coach always keeps him hard, keeps him ready. I genuinely like Dricus, but it's just like... here's the thing man, you know who I am, I will f****** kill you. I'm the one guy who is okay with throwing away my life. And one day I hope that if the opportunity ever presents itself I f****** man up and I do it. I'm okay dying as long as you die with me.
Du Plessis, 30, last fought against Robert Whittaker in July 2023 at UFC 290. In that confrontation, Dricus won by technical knockout in the second round. He has 20 wins and two losses on his record.
Strickland, 32, last stepped into the octagon against Israel Adesanya in September 2023 at UFC 293. That fight went the full distance and ended in favor of Sean by unanimous decision of the judges. He has 28 wins and five losses on his record.
