The UFC 297 press conference between Sean Strickland and Dricus du Plessis got wild earlier today.
‘Tarzan’ and ‘Stillknocks’ are currently set to meet Saturday night in a wild pay-per-view main event. For Sean Strickland, the bout will be the first defense of his middleweight title reign. Last September, he dominated Israel Adesanya to score an upset decision win, ending the reign of ‘The Last Stylebender’.
While there was brief talk of a rematch with Israel Adesanya, the newly crowned champion instead drew Dricus du Plessis. The South African earned the title shot with a knockout win over Robert Whittaker last July. In the build to his title fight with Sean Strickland, du Plessis has gotten personal. However, the two hugged earlier this week, putting their brief and heated rivalry to bed.
However, the Canadian fans were pumped up nonetheless. At today’s UFC 297 press conference, the crowd was as energetic as ever. Naturally, Sean Strickland matched that energy and shook hands with Dricus du Plessis about fighting to the death. That’s not an exaggeration, it actually happened.
Handshake aside, the biggest highlight to come out of the UFC 297 press conference was a fan rushing the stage. Midway through the event, a man rushed the stage, but not for negative reasons. Instead, he just wanted to shake the hand of Sean Strickland. Based on the camera angle, it’s hard to tell if he accomplished his goal.
Fan attempts to shake Sean Strickland’s hand during UFC 297 press conference
Beyond the initial shock of the moment itself, Sean Strickland actually seemed to love it. Speaking at the press conference, ‘Tarzan’ offered a theory of why fans gravitated to him, as opposed to Dricus du Plessis and others. According to Strickland, his authenticity makes him likable to many UFC fans.
“This is what the media doesn’t understand when it comes to you guys and the Australian fans.” Sean Strickland stated at the UFC 297 press conference earlier today. “Let me tell you guys something. You guys don’t care about me fighting! Sure! Me and Dricus, we’re going to have a death match! Someone’s going to get their hand raised, someone’s going to get their hand raised. But, when have you ever seen a UFC champion, Georges St-Pierre or anyone else, stick up for you f*cking guys?”
He continued, “I f*cking do it, I do it, I’m not chasing the Chinese checkmark of Nike, I don’t give a f*ck about that. I care about you guys, I care about you guys being free, I care about you guys having freedom of speech, I give a f*ck about you guys. I’ll tell you what, you guys are f*cking awesome, and I can’t wait for me and this man to go to war for you f*cking guys.”
What do you make of this news? Are you excited for UFC 297? Who do you have in the main event? Sean Strickland or Dricus du Plessis?
