
Sean Strickland (left) and Dricus Du Plessis (dir.) face each other in the UFC 297. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram
About to meet for the second time in the main fight of the UFC 312, scheduled for next Saturday (8), Sean Strickland e Dricus Du Plessis have something in common: they both defeated Israel adesanya. Despite this similarity, the two adopted different strategies to beat the Nigerian. While the American fought for 25 minutes standing up, the south african resorted to grappling, a choice that disappointed his rival.
In an interview with Fox Sports Australia, Strickland criticized Du Plessis for avoiding striking against Adesanya, preferring to take the fight to the ground, which he calls the 'coward's way out'. The American claims that, unlike his rival, he prefers to fight standing up and exchange punches, without resorting to wrestling.
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“Man, you fought Izzy, and Izzy was beating you in the standup. I ran over Izzy. I mean that in the standup sense. Du Plessis did good, man… he took the guy down again. He took the coward’s way out. He was supposed to be a strong South African, but he wanted to grapple. At the end of the day, he fought well, but you’re going to let the Chinese guy beat you in the standup, which everyone remembers… I don’t like grappling. I’m a grown man. I do the right thing. I stand up and throw punches,” Strickland said.
Sean Strickland e Dricus Du Plessis faced each other in the main fight of the UFC 297 in January 2024. At the time, the American was the champion, but he ended up being dethroned. Since then, Strickland returned to the octagon and won Paulo borrachinha, while the South African defended his title against Israel adesanya No. UFC 305.
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