The UFC has often faced controversy regarding judging and decisions, and UFC 297 is no exception. Fans on the internet claim that Sean Strickland was robbed against Dricus Du Plessis, asserting that ‘Tarzan’ should have retained his belt instead of the South African fighter becoming the new champion. Not just fans but UFC President Dana White also expressed that he thought Strickland won the fight. Now, in response to Du Plessis being furious, he has given a two-word answer.
At the post-event presser, the UFC President was pressed about his thoughts on the scorecard, to which he surprisingly suggested, like many fans, that Strickland won the fight. He stated that, given the way Strickland threw his jab that left Du Plessis’ eye swollen, he wasn’t on the same page as the judges. He stated,
“I had it 2-2 going into the last round and I thought Strickland won the last round. Um, guys who were sitting at the same table had it the other way. You know, it was a close fight. I thought Strickland looked great in the first two rounds.”
"I had it 2-2 going into the last round, and I thought Strickland won the last round."
UFC CEO Dana White thought Sean Strickland beat Dricus Du Plessis at #UFC297. pic.twitter.com/dMxXSjjptv
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) January 21, 2024
And the new champion, talking to the media, asked if there was anyone who thought he lost the fight, to which a reporter said Dana White thinks he lost. In response to that, Du Plessis said, “Dana said it!? Well, bullsh*t.” Indeed, the South African fighter was furious with the UFC President’s stance and didn’t agree with him at all.
Dricus du Plessis reacts to Dana White scoring the #UFC297 main event for Sean Strickland. pic.twitter.com/PsZdfsnrRO
— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) January 21, 2024
It’s not new; there are many instances where White and fans aren’t on the same page with the judges. Meanwhile, now with this controversial win, it will be interesting to see who he will fight next–will it be a rematch or any other opponent?
UFC 297: Dricus Du Plessis wants to go next against Israel Adesanya
Du Plessis has various options for his next move, from a rematch with Sean Strickland to potential fights against Khamzat Chimaev and Alex Pereira. In his post-fight interview with Daniel Cormier, he revealed his next opponent: his former rival, Israel Adesanya. In his words,
“I saw Alex Pereira get in the cage and I thought, ‘Okay, here we go again, let’s do the face off now and see if I can but it looks like that’s not happening. It was another guy who tried to take my shine, he lost this shine now I have your shine, you didn’t get into the cage tonight. But Israel Adesanya get your a** back in the UFC so we can settle the score.”
When asked about the same from Dana White, whether Adesanya will return to UFC 300, he stated the fans will find out soon. As for Du Plessis, although he mentioned needing to recover fast due to the injuries sustained in this fight, he sees the historic event fight as a banger. So, there might be a chance that we see this fight soon.
