Trash talk devolved into a preview of the next UFC championship as headliners brawled ringside in Las Vegas resulting in one of them being removed from the arena.
“He really is nuts…”
Fight fans may have flocked to T-Mobile Arena outside Las Vegas, Nevada to see Leon Edwards vs. Colby Covington duke it out for the UFC Welterweight Championship, but an off-card grudge had many primed for a middleweight matchup.
Current UFC Middleweight Champion Sean Strickland was readily goaded into a dustup with rival Dricus Du Plessis, seated nearby ringside, as a moment meant to tease their Jan. 20 contest devolved into blows.
“How about Sean Strickland, who’s a psychopath, having the wherewithal to tell the kids to move before he goes and attacks Dricus Du Plessis,” commentator Daniel Cormier could be heard saying as footage rolled that showed Strickland direct a young boy to step aside so he could vault over a chair to begin pummeling the South African fighter during the lightweight contest between Paddy Pimblett and Tony Ferguson.
Here’s the dust up between Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis from earlier tonight! #UFC296 pic.twitter.com/WnLNVGkRXf
— UFC on TNT Sports (@ufcontnt) December 17, 2023
HOLY CRAP SEAN STRICKLAND AND DRICUS DU PLESSIS GOT INTO IT!!! Had to be separated #UFC296 pic.twitter.com/igZclEMwp5
— Helen Yee (@HelenYeeSports) December 17, 2023
“So ridiculous that the middleweight champion of the world would do that…He’s out of his mind,” Joe Rogan added. “He really is nuts and looking, he’s getting off on it, he enjoys it, he had a good time.”
Members of the fighters’ respective entourages, security, and even former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Chuck Liddell could be seen separating the fighters, and broadcaster Jon Anik detailed that Strickland was pulled from the stands.
He would later take to X to call out Du Plessis alongside fellow UFC fighter Israel Adesanya with his own commentary on the behavior of the men compared to insults thrown his way, “I go hard on everyone I know this, izzy mouth feeding his dog, Dricus kissing his coach and grabbing his cup. Omally talking about sharing his wife in a podcast.”
“You’re a man, on a world stage doing this in public…And what do you pick? ‘You got abused as a kid ha,'” Strickland added.
I go hard on everyone I know this, izzy mouth feeding his dog, Dricus kissing his coach and grabbing his cup. Omally talking about sharing his wife in a podcast.
You’re a man, on a world stage doing this in public
And what do you pick?
“You got abused as a kid ha”
— Sean Strickland (@SStricklandMMA) December 17, 2023
In his own knock on the UFC 297 opponent, Du Plessis took to the social media platform to assert, “Now I understand why you have a 33% finish rate, you hit like a girl, also 20 January the security won’t be there to save your life when I’m on top.”
Now I understand why you have a 33% finish rate, you hit like a girl, also 20 January the security won’t be there to save your life when I’m on top. #rentfree
— Dricus Du Plessis (@dricusduplessis) December 17, 2023
UFC President Dana White took full responsibility for the incident telling the press later, “So what kind of an a**hole sits Strickland next to Du Plessis? This a**hole. That’s who.”
“I do every seating assignment every week,” he added before remarking, “How f*cking stupid is that? I mean seriously. I don’t know what humans you can sit Strickland next to, but definitely not Du Plessis. I don’t even know how I missed that.”
White also contradicted the report that the fighter was booted and told the press that after Strickland was brought to the back to cool down he left of his own accord.
Dana White takes the blame for sitting Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis next to each other at #UFC296
“I do every seating assignment every week… I don’t even know how I missed that.” pic.twitter.com/CNtzqPnapK
— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) December 17, 2023
Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.
Comment
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.