Sean Strickland will take on Dricus du Plessis at UFC 297 inside the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Canada. However, ahead of the fight, UFC held a press conference for the event during the UFC 296 fight week. In the press conference, it seemed as if there was a friendly banter between Strickland and du Plessis. However, things have taken a turn for the worse the two were involved in a brawl during the UFC 296 event.
Ahead of Shavkat Rakhmonov and Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson’s bout, the camera panned towards Dricus first and then once it zoomed out, fans could see Strickland standing a few rows ahead. As Sean came on the giant screen, he playfully pretended to shoot him. However, the South African fighter could be seen inviting Strickland to square off after the gesture.
Although the camera cut away from the two, footage has now emerged of the two brawling in the crowd. While the clip is blurry, it was evident that security personnel were holding back both fighters from engaging in a full-blown street fight. Another angle of the footage showed Marlon Vera cheering on as Sean Strickland was being escorted out of the arena.
Sean Strickland landed more punches in this scuffle than Dillon Danis did against Logan Paul. pic.twitter.com/8IKLqlCJqu
— MMA Roasted (@MMARoasted) December 17, 2023
In the footage above, it can be seen that Strickland was raining down heavy punches on his UFC 297 opponent before the security pulled them apart.
what a nice guy Sean Strickland is. asked Gilbert Burns family to move before jumping on Dricus #UFC296 pic.twitter.com/BV3nINHLeL
— Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) December 17, 2023
But not only that, UFC welterweight fighter, Gilbert Burns’ family was sitting close by Strickland at the time of the brawl. Being the gentleman he is, Strickland requested Burns’ family to move aside before jumping on du Plessis.
Sean Strickland will fight Dricus du Plessis at UFC 297
As previously mentioned, Sean Strickland and Dricus du Plessis will duke it out on January 20, 2024 at UFC 297. Although many expected Israel Adesanya to get a rematch against Strickland after losing the belt at UFC 293. But, it appears as if Izzy has no intentions of fighting anytime soon and is enjoying his time out of the Octagon. It opened up the slot for Dricus to slip in and get his first UFC title shot.
THE FIRST PPV OF 2024 🍿 #UFC297 pic.twitter.com/UZs4o2wXlh
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) December 17, 2023
The South African fighter was the first choice to fight Adesanya at UFC 293. But Strickland ended up getting the fight after du Plessis was unable to be ready in time for the fight. Nonetheless, Dricus du Plessis challenging Sean Strickland for the middleweight title is certainly a big draw. The statement is even truer after the recent brawl. If history is anything to go by, controversy results in big PPV sales, and both fighters sure know how to stir the pot.
Who do you think wins the fight? Let us know in the comments below.