Sean Strickland issues statement following UFC 297 title loss to Dricus Du Plessis: “I thought we got the job done”

Sean Strickland has issued a statement following his UFC 297 title loss to Dricus Du Plessis.

Strickland (28-6 MMA) was looking to earn his first career UFC title defense when he collided with the streaking South African this evening in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

The American had captured the middleweight strap this past September at UFC 293, where he put on a masterful performance to dethrone Israel Adesanya.

As for Dricus Du Plessis (21-2 MMA), ‘Stillknocks’ had entered his first career UFC title bout riding an eight-fight unbeaten streak, his most previous being a TKO victory over former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker.

As promised, Sean Strickland and ‘DDP’ delivered on the guarantee for a ‘fight to the death’ type of war. ‘Tarzan’ came out guns blazing in the opening five-minutes, overwhelming the challenger with his jab and movement. Once Du Plessis started to apply the pressure in rounds two and three, things started to turn in his favor. Although battling a swollen up left eye, Dricus was able to create multiple cuts on the face and head of Strickland, battering the champion throughout round four. The fifth and final round seemingly went the way of the American. Sean got off the better and more effective punches and did not allow ‘DDP’ to back him down in the final five minutes.

Despite his late surge, Sean Strickland ultimately fell short on the judges’ scorecards, losing a hotly debated split decision.

Shortly after losing is title this evening in Toronto, Strickland took to ‘X‘ with the following statement for his fans.

Well fuck haha… man that headbutt really made it difficult to see but I thought we got the job done. Blood and all!!! Onto the next one!!! Thanks everyone who supported me!!!!!!

— Sean Strickland (@SStricklandMMA) January 21, 2024

“Well f**k haha… Man that headbutt really made it difficult to see but I thought we got the job done. Blood and all!!! Onto the next one!!! Thanks everyone who supported me!!!!!!”

Although Dana White says he actually scored the fight in favor of Strickland, the UFC CEO apparently is not interested in booking an immediate rematch. White now has his sights set on a highly anticipated grudge match between Dricus Du Plessis and Israel Adesanya.

Who would you like to see Sean Strickland fight next?