Dricus du Plessis has an extremely important commitment in the UFC. In the main event of the company’s 312th show, the middleweight champion will face Sean Strickland for the second time in his career and is full of confidence in another win. But there are rumors online about Sean Strickland getting a staph infection on his left arm that can put the fight in jeopardy. So, the South African took the opportunity to give a little morale boost to ‘Tarzan.’
Speaking to the media ahead of his much-anticipated clash, Du Plessis took the opportunity to show respect and provide moral support to his opponent by reflecting on their past encounter. ‘Stillknocks’ revealed that the first time he fought Strickland, the American turned out to be a much bigger challenge than he expected. “After I fought him, I went, ‘Wow, he’s a lot better than I thought. He is as good as the paper says. He’s deserving of this starter shot. I can’t believe he hasn’t had it earlier. He is an incredibly good fighter.”
Dricus Du Plessis further added that despite the American being his opponent for the next fight, he said, “I think there’s so much mutual respect between me and Sean. At least from my side, I have all the respect in the world for the man. He’s an absolute warrior, an incredible fighter. I think he’s proven that.” However, it is worth noting that despite the ongoing show of respect, the two have been butting heads online.
The latest attack was by ‘Stillknocks,’ who shared a picture of Sean Strickland on his Instagram story with the caption, “What? He grew taller and added staph infection to his arsenal… O s**t!” The reigning middleweight champion was referring to a mark on Sean Strickland’s left arm that looked a lot like a staph infection. But so far, there has been no confirmation as to whether ‘Tarzan’ actually has one or not. Irrespective of Sean Strickland’s condition, Dricus Du Plessis has let everyone know that he will be going all out on the title contender despite the claims of respect he made in the media appearance.
Dricus du Plessis exposes his warlike mentality against Strickland
The South African is all excited for the fight and even sets out to expose his warrior mentality for the rematch. In an interview with the YouTube channel ‘Mark Bouris,’ Dricus Du Plessis assured that he is ready to give his all and reach the limit in his fights. Not satisfied, the cold-blooded UFC champion revealed that his goal in the Octagon is to punish his opponents in the worst possible way. And the South African’s wild approach to his fights is nothing new, as he has a visceral style.
Precisely because he showed determination in action and was an aggressive fighter, Dricus Du Plessis put himself ahead of the competition. It should be noted that the South African, despite his ups and downs, remains undefeated in the UFC, surpassing big names in MMA and winning fights frequently. For this reason, the champion of the company accepted the challenge of facing Sean Strickland again and said that his opponent would have to prepare well to deal with his intensity, as he would come to the duel with the intention of ‘k*lling’ him.
He said, “When I go in there, if the ref doesn’t stop it, I’m not stopping. I can be sitting on you for 10 minutes bashing your face, and if the ref doesn’t say stop, I’m not stopping. That is the question that me, as a modern-day gladiator, has to ask myself: Am I still willing to die? Absolutely. That’s easy. It’s, are you willing to k*ll a man in front of his family? Yes, I am, and that’s why I’m the world champion.” Well, it looks like Dricus Du Plessis is mentally and physically prepared to take down ‘Tarzan,’ but will he be able to do so? Let us know in the comments.
The post “I Can’t Believe”- Amid Staph Infection Scare, Dricus Du Plessis Sends a Message to Sean Strickland Before UFC 312 appeared first on EssentiallySports.