Sean Strickland’s Coach Hints at December Title-Fight Return, Disagrees With UFC 297 Outcome: ‘Never Lost the Belt’
Sean Strickland’s coach suggests a December return for the fighter, while disagreeing with the UFC 297 decision.
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Sean Strickland will be back in December to claim the middleweight belt back. The latest updates dropped by Strickland’s coach Eric Nicksick hint at the fighter's eagerness to compete for the undisputed crown. In a recent interaction with MMA Fighting, Nicksick opened up about his notions of how the fight between Dricus du Plessis and Sean Strickland transpired at UFC 297. Echoing similar sentiment with Strickland, Nicksick too, stated that the decision did not seem fair.
Elaborating his point further, Eric stated, “In my head he [Sean Strickland] never lost the belt. It was such a close fight with Dricus [Du Plesis]. He dominated Izzy. I think if Izzy wins that fight that's an easy rematch Izzy's gonna want to get that revenge. If Dricus wins you think [he will] give Sean the opportunity to avenge that loss.”
Sean Strickland too, has been eager to get his rematch right away with Dricus du Plessis after his UFC 297 fight. After Strickland won the middleweight belt from Adesanya, he was unable to defend it and lost the same in the very first match he appeared in. Unfortunately, Du Plessis was not interested in another match with Strickland and instead, reignited his rivalry with Israel Adesanya.
However, despite the claims from Nicksick and Strickland, Du Plessis does not agree with the scores being unfair. In a recent interview with Kevin Iole, du Plessis mentioned that he won the fight clearly. In fact, Du Plessis went on to say that the bout being decided via a split decision was an utterly shocking revelation for Dricus du Plessis.
Meanwhile, Strickland’s wish for a title shot might suffer another setback as Robert Whittaker is fast emerging into the scene. Initially, after his loss to Du Plessis in UFC 290, Whittaker was thought to be out of contention for good. But following ‘Tarzan’s loss and the ‘Reaper’ notching up victories against Paulo Costa and Ikram Aliskerov, things have started to change. Making a strong case for the undisputed title, Sean Strickland seemed enraged about the entire dynamics.
Tarzan termed the idea as ‘f**king wild’ and lashed out at the UFC asking them to do the ‘right thing.’ Well, for Du Plessis and Strickland to meet again, the champion needs to defend his belt first. With Israel Adesanya seeking vengeance, it seems like an uphill battle for the South African. Thus, with things getting interesting, it will be interesting to see whether Sean Strickland gets his rematch or if a new contender emerges.
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