Robert Whittaker has been going on a tear through the division, taking out top contender after top contender. However, the title shot is his ultimate aim and having had the belt wrapped around him previously, it is a feeling he desperately seeks again. So, in his quest for the title, he wanted to take on another former champion in Sean Strickland. Turns out, the American would rather sit and wait.
Whittaker had just put on a class against Ikram Aliskerov at UFC Saudi Arabia on short notice, and the company had offered him the Strickland fight. But, it turns out, consistent with Strickland’s opinion about deserving a title shot against.
According to a recent interview by ‘Bobby Knuckles’ manager, Titus Day, the Kiwi was prepared to go toe to toe with Strickland for a chance to fight against Dricus du Plessis for the middleweight title.
However, Strickland remained disinterested.
“Straight after the last fight in in Riyadh. They said to us straight away, does Rob want to fight?… Does Rob want to fight Sean in Perth? And we said yeah, sure, absolutely. And apparently he said no.”
Robert Whittaker’s Manager Titus Day reveals Rob initially accepted to Sean Strickland in Perth but Strickland declined the fight!
“Straight after the last fight in in Riyadh. They said to us straight away, does Rob want to fight?… Does Rob want to fight Sean in Perth? And we… pic.twitter.com/MIUxh3MJpC
— Submission Radio (@SubmissionRadio) September 6, 2024
To be fair to Sean Strickland, he had already fought after losing the title to Dricus Du Plessis. He believes he had done enough to secure the next title shot and so had no reason to fight Whittaker.
But in reality, he had only held the middleweight title for a very very short period of time and his match with Paulo Costa was an embarrassment of riches.
Regardless, as things have turned out, it is Strickland who will be fighting the champion next against the rub of the grain.
Strickland vs DDP for middleweight title in SA
Sean Strickland knows it, Dricus Du Plessis knows it, the UFC fans know it, and now even Dana White has confirmed it. The next title fight at 185 lbs is Strickland vs. Du Plessis.
Their first fight was way too close, with some even believing the American should have won.
In an interview with Jim Rome, the UFC president Dana White even confirmed the news when Rome asked him if Strickland was next in line for the title,
“Yeah listen, Sean Strickland right now is the #1 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
The biggest problem regarding the fight at the moment is where it will take place. The champ wants to defend his belt back in his hometown of South Africa. And that is what Dana White had promised him if he successfully defended his title against Israel Adesanya in Australia. And that is exactly what he has done.
However, Strickland doesn’t want to go to South Africa. He wants to continue fighting on American soil and bring the belt back home. Logically speaking, there’s a good chance Strickland’s brand of trash talking probably would get him into trouble on African soil!
