UFC middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis dismissed Sean Strickland’s stand-and-fight request.
Du Plessis is set to face Sean Strickland in a rematch bout at the UFC 312, and Strickland might be a bit scared of Du Plessis’s fighting style. The fighter called for an agreement and requested that his opponent should “stand up like f*cking men.” Du Plessis dismissed this request and called Strickland a “fake tough guy” who did not honor their last agreement to fight to the death at UFC 297.
Du Plessis and Strickland first fought last year at UFC 297, where he took the middleweight title from Strickland with a split decision win. In that bout, du Plessis scored six takedowns, which may have contributed to his victory, so the champion isn’t interested in removing that option. However, du Plessis believes their rematch will mostly consist of the sort of fight Strickland wants.
“Look, it’s a ridiculous thing to ask,” He said. “If you want to make pacts about us just standing up, go do boxing. I don’t go into fights thinking I have to stand up or take the guy down. I do what the situation tells me to do. That’s what MMA fighters do. I’m comfortable everywhere.”
“One hundred percent, I think we are most likely going to keep it standing,” du Plessis said. “I know I have the cardio, know I can push him back, and I know I have the power to knock him out, so for me, that’s great. Then, if the opportunity comes to get a takedown, it’s a decision you have to make immediately. If you see the moment, you take it.”
Du Plessis says MMA requires versatility, and staying on the feet will not be as entertaining to the fans. He says Strickland did not uphold his end of the bargain in their last fight, and he doesn’t plan on making any promises.
“He said ‘to the death,’ and I was ready for that,” Du Plessis said. “You saw it, too, I went forward for 23 minutes of a 25-minute fight. But from him? It was jabs and teeps. Against Paulo Costa next fight, same thing. So, to the death?
“Sean Strickland knows a lot of one-liners to sound tough, but I expose fake tough guys. And as for him now again saying, ‘Let’s make this pact?’ What’s the purpose of a pact after we saw what happened the last time? Plus, I’m not here to make pacts. I’m here to win.”
UFC 312 takes place on Feb. 9 at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney.
