Sean Strickland doubles down on head butt claim after UFC 297 loss: 'I didn't take the coward's way out'
Sean Strickland claims he could've got a no contest and kept his title at UFC 297 due to an alleged heat butt from Dricus Du Plessis.
Sean Strickland continues to cry foul on his UFC 297 title loss to Dricus Du Plessis.
Strickland (28-6 MMA, 15-6 UFC) dropped the middleweight belt to Du Plessis (21-2 MMA, 7-0 UFC) by split decision in Saturday’s headliner at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. It was a highly competitive fight, and the lacerations on Strickland’s face certainly put him at a disadvantage in the back half of the five-round affair.
In the immediate aftermath, Strickland pointed to an alleged clash of heads by Du Plessis as a contributing factor in the result. Monday, he doubled down on that claim and said he could’ve taken the easy out with a no contest, but instead battled until the end – at which point he still thinks his hand should’ve been raised (via Instagram):
Du Plessis was caught off guard at the UFC 297 post-fight news conference when asked about the narrative of a fight-altering clash of heads, and argued he clearly won anyway.
Strickland’s latest comments weren’t taken kindly by the new champion (via Instagram comments):
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 297.