SUMMARY
- During the UFC 297 post-fight press conference, Dana White stated his opinion of Sean Strickland vs. Dricus du Plessis.
- Robert Whittaker share his opinion about the fight between Sean and Dricus.
The UFC 297 main event has become a talking point among the MMA community and fighters. Many favored former Middleweight Champion Sean Strickland in the controversial loss against Dricus Du Plessis. This also includes UFC president Dana White himself, who went out on a limb to state his opinion during the UFC 297 post-fight press conference.
The bout was a tremendously close one with a display of elite striking, endurance, and cardio. The match started with Strickland having the upper hand with crisp jabs and closing the distance, making the South African pickup damage. The later rounds were more even, with Dricus controlling more of the fight on the ground and pressing on the feet too.
Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker chipped in with his opinion with the MMArcade podcast. He stated, “I don’t know why it’s controversy, I have seen a lot of like other fighters and even Dana White himself saying like didn’t think he won the fight but mate I don’t know in my opinion he won the fight”.
There is no doubt that the South African is the obvious winner. He further claimed that the first round of the bout may have been close and could go to Sean, but all the others he believed were clearly in favor of Du Plessis making more impact overall. He also disagreed with all the naysayers, including Dana White and other fighters who were taking Strickland’s side for the victory.
Robert Whittaker technically breaks down Dricus du Plessis vs Sean Strickland UFC 297 bout
As Robert Whittaker previously said, Sean Strickland vs. Dricus du Plessis was not a controversial loss for Strickland. The New Zealand-born mixed martial artist further commented, “Someone who has fought Dricus, he is awkward to fight in there it’s just awkward it’s hard to find your own footing because to, I think Strickland does very well when he is kind of dictating what’s when he is pressuring you” on the podcast.
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Whittaker backed Du Plessis for the win, crediting it to his awkward style of fighting, which makes it difficult for his opponent to adjust and adapt. This, he believes, created the pressure on Strickland and therefore disallowed his chances to better control the fight direction. The UFC fighter had previously fought the new champion at UFC 290, therefore providing deeper insight.
Sean Strickland’s coach shares thoughts on Dricus du Plessis’ win at UFC 297
Sean Strickland’s head coach, Eric Nicksick, also shared his opinion on the ongoing controversy. He stated that it was a very close fight and could have gone either way. Posting with the caption, “Close fights mean we needed to win the optics battle. Live, I had us winning 1,2, & 5, but all that matters are the 3 cage side. I’ll watch it again, to see where we/I can be better”.
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Further congratulating and appreciating Du Plessis on the win in a classy manner and hoping to reassess and improve for the next bout. The South African thanked Eric for his humble opinion and praised the team for having given him such a hard battle in the octagon.