Sean Strickland promises 'a f****** war' in Dricus du Plessis rematch at UFC 312

Former UFC Middleweight Champion Sean Strickland pulled no punches when discussing his rematch against current titleholder Dricus Du Plessis, which headlines UFC 312 this Saturday from Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, to top a 13-fight pay-per-view event at Qudos Bank Arena.

Strickland Wants "Dogfight" In Du Plessis Rematch

Strickland (29-6 MMA, 16-6 UFC) who earned a chance to regain his title with an oddly-scored split decision victory against former title challenger Paulo Costa (14-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) last June in the co-main event during UFC 302 in Newark, New Jersey, expects the second encounter with Du Plessis (22-2 MMA, 8-0 UFC) to pick up right where their first fight left off: anti-climactic.

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"Even when I'm doing things right [in fights], in my head I'm doing things wrong," Strickland said.

Strickland chooses not to watch his own fights nor display his once-coveted championship title publicly, citing "low self-esteem" and being an "abused kid." He would rather put his finishing skills to the test in the Octagon rather than articulate fight-speak language at a bare bones level, he said.

"When you're fighting, you want to be as stoic as possible," Strickland said. "There are so many guys when they go in there and they're thinking about all this [irrelevant] s***. Your brain should be blank and be focusing on the task at hand. Who I am as a person – who I am a person when that cage door shuts [behind me], all I am is Sean, the fighter."

Sean Strickland fights Dricus du Plessis during UFC 297 at ScotiaBank Arena. | Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

Regarding the rematch with Du Plessis, fresh off his first title defense last August at UFC 305 against former champion and Strickland opponent Israel Adesanya (24-5 MMA, 13-5 UFC), Strickland expects the best version of the South African yet.

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"When I got that [headbutt] cut [in Round 4], it really changed the dynamic of the fight," Strickland said. "I just think with this fight, it just needs to be a dogfight. More pressure, less feel."

Strickland said he has manifested getting another opportunity to avenge a loss and reclaim the title that was taken away from him, which is what the fight with du Plessis represents Saturday night.

Dricus du Plessis celebrates defeating Sean Strickland during UFC 297 at ScotiaBank Arena. | Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

"Me and Dricus have been thinking about this [fight] since we fought, before we fought," Strickland said. "It is going to be a f****** war."

Du Plessis "Willing To Die" At UFC 312

Du Plessis shares an identical viewpoint about the rematch.

This might be one of the coldest lines from an MMA fighter of all time

“Am I willing to die?… Absolutely that’s easy. It’s are you willing to kill a man in front of his family. Yes I am… and that’s why I’m world champ because I say yes every single time”

🎥 @markbouris pic.twitter.com/KIxvb8eLpj
— FULL SEND MMA (@full_send_mma) February 3, 2025

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“Am I willing to die?… Absolutely that’s easy,” du Plessis said. “It’s 'Are you willing to kill a man in front of his family?' Yes, I am… and that’s why I’m world champ, because I say 'Yes' every single time.”

By night's end, the 185-pound division is going to have completed another chapter in UFC rematch lore, adding to the likes of Anderson Silva vs, Chael Sonnen, Silva vs. Rich Franklin, Adesanya vs. Robert Whittaker, Whittaker vs. Yoel Romero, and many more.

For now, it's up to both men to deliver on their lofty expectations, with Strickland's perhaps more pertinent given that the decision from the first fight is widely debated amongst the MMA masses to this day.

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The card gets underway at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. with its entire undercard portion, followed by the televised ESPN+ PPV offering at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.

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