Dricus Du Plessis Shares Surprising Reaction To UFC 296 Brawl With Sean Strickland: "It's In Our DNA"
Dricus Du Plessis appears to have already moved on from his UFC 296 brawl with Sean Strickland.
Du Plessis is set to challenge Strickland for the UFC Middleweight Championship at UFC 297 on January 20, 2024. While their official fight takes place a little under a month from now, the two have already traded strikes. Du Plessis and Strickland were seated next to each other in the crowd for UFC 296 and ended up brawling.
UFC CEO Dana White blamed himself for the seating arrangement, knowing that things had gotten personal between the middleweights during a press conference just days prior to UFC 296.
Dricus Du Plessis is well aware that Sean Strickland attacked him for mentioning his past abusive relationship with his father. During an episode of "Coach & The Casual," Du Plessis said he doesn't have an ounce of hatred toward Strickland over the fracas.
"There's no hard feelings," Du Plessis said. "I still have the world's respect for Sean Strickland. He's a real man, I said it and he showed that last night. I mean, he stood up for himself and he did what he ⎯ you know, that's what a real man does. He stuck up for himself. Listen, did he behave like a champion? Probably not, but at the end of the day, champion or not, we are fighters. We are not football players, we are not sprinters, we are fighters. It's in our DNA."
At least for now, it appears things won't spill over much further until we get to fight night. With Strickland, however, one can never be too sure.
If you use any quotes from this article, please leave an H/T to MMAKnockout.com for the transcription.
Stick with MMA Knockout for more daily coverage of the UFC and MMA.