Sean Strickland might say he’s able to combat to the loss of life each time he steps contained in the Octagon, however he positive doesn’t combat like a man able to die.
After surrendering the middleweight world title slightly greater than a 12 months in the past, Strickland will look to reclaim the crown when he meets reigning champion Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 312 on February 8 in Sydney, Australia.
The primary time round, Strickland got here up quick on two of the three scorecards, struggling a carefully contested break up choice. The combat itself didn’t precisely set the world on hearth — a irritating actuality contemplating the extraordinary buildup and Strickland’s demand that he and the South African star go into the bout able to “combat to the loss of life.” As a substitute, Strickland stayed on his again foot for a lot of the combat, leaning on his jab to attempt to outpoint ‘DDP’ all through the five-round affair.
Lately, Strickland instructed that he and Du Plessis enter a pact forward of their sequel scrap in The Land Down Beneath.
“I’m going to wish you to be a f**king man and I’m gonna want you to face up, not go to your knees, and we’re gonna must f**king strike like males,” Strickland demanded in a video. “I do know you wish to wrestle, and also you wish to f**kng choke folks out and do some homosexual s**t, dude however I’ll make a pact with you. You make a pact with me that we f**kng get up like f**king males and we settle this s**t like males.’’
Du Plessis says Sean Strickland is there to defend, not combat
Du Plessis was fast to dismiss any such pact with Strickland and criticized ‘Tarzan’ for consistently speaking an enormous sport throughout the pre-fight festivities however failing to dwell as much as the hype as soon as he’s contained in the cage.
“My response was clear. ‘There are not any pacts between lions and males.’ That was my direct response,” Du Plessis stated. “However you understand, that was precisely what we did the final time,” Du Plessis stated in an interview with Mark Bouris. “He stated, ‘To loss of life. Let’s go. Let’s combat to the loss of life.’ And the person threw a jab and a teep for 5 rounds.
“In that—it is a stat, you may go test it—for 23 minutes, I went ahead. He went ahead for 2 minutes. That may be a very clear indication of who’s there to combat and who’s there to defend.”
Of their first assembly, Du Plessis landed six of 11 tried takedowns however solely notched two minutes of management time. Nonetheless, these takedowns are possible what swung the choice in favor of ‘DDP’ contemplating Strickland landed 36 extra vital strikes throughout the contest.
Strickland additionally landed at a better share, connecting with 42% of his photographs whereas ‘DDP’ landed at a 38% clip.