Oh, boy, former UFC middleweight champion, Sean Strickland just got his wish granted! UFC President Dana White broke the news to the community granting the #1 contender a shot at redemption, a chance to reclaim his lost belt as he announced Strickland the next in line for the middleweight title shot.
While 2024 was a tumultuous year for ‘Tarzan,’ having lost his crown in his very first title defense against Dricus du Plessis at UFC 297. There was news of him fighting Robert Whittaker for the #1 contender spot but Strickland had declined the opportunity and claimed that he was warranted a rematch with DDP or at least a shot at the title.
And while fans had ridiculed him for it, White’s confirmation of his status at the #1 contender following the DDP vs Israel Adesanya fight at UFC 305 means his patience has paid off,
Speaking to Jim Rome on his show, the bossman dropped the update, saying,
“Sean Strickland right now is the #1 ranked middleweight in the world and the answer is, yes.”
LETS GOO!!!!! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
SEAN STRICKLAND NEXT IN LINE💪
Confirmed by Dana White#UFC305 pic.twitter.com/YebUuBWDeU
— PC Strickland (@PCStricklandMMA) August 13, 2024
Losing his title in his first title defense, Strickland rebounded with a decision win against Brazil’s Paulo Costa in June At UFC 303 and that win seems to have landed the controversialist another shot at UFC gold.
Now, although White confirmed that Strickland is next in line, middleweight champion, DDP doesn’t necessarily agree with it. Claiming that his win over Strickland was a decisive and dominant one, he has reiterated that the winner Whittaker vs. Chimaev should be having a go at him next.
DDP doesn’t want the Strickland smoke
The middleweight division is in fact, one of UFC’s most happening divisions. The title saw a change of hands twice this year with Strickland defeating Israel Adesanya to snatch his title.
Unfortunately, Strickland couldn’t hold on to his belt for long as Proteas sensation, du Plessis defeated the American. And while many have since debated the win, some often claiming that it was Strickland who had gotten the better of that exchange, the champion continues to disagree.
Regardless, during an exclusive to SHAK MMA, du Plessis detailed the situation for the fans and explained why Whittaker was the more deserving candidate for his title.
He claimed that the Aussue had two wins and that Strickland shouldn’t even have had the opportunity to fight Izzy for the title even though he had proven that he belonged. DDP believes that Strickland should go to the back of the line and wait for the rest of the roster to catch up first.
“The winner of Khamzat and Whittaker is gonna get the title shot. That’s gonna happen. Strickland says he’s gonna wait until he gets a title shot. He’s gonna wait for quite a while, in my opinion. If Whittaker beats Khamzat, he’s 100 percent getting the title shot.”
Well, it all seems futile now. You can become a world champion in the UFC but there’s only so much you can do about the ‘Dana White privilege’.
