“Let me take a fu—ng pint of blood out in your eye and let me see how you feel.” It is safe to say that subtlety has never been Sean Strickland’s strong suit. Losing a title fight stings, but losing it in a razor-close split decision? That’s the kind that’ll keep even the toughest fighters up at night. And ‘Tarzan’ still hasn’t let go of what happened at UFC 297, where Dricus Du Plessis walked away with the belt. According to the former champ, a headbutt turned the whole fight upside down which was his to win.
But while he’s busy rehashing the past, UFC legend Daniel Cormier has stepped in with a little reality check. Is ‘Tarzan’ making a point, or just making excuses? Cormier has seen it all, wars in the cage, brutal knockouts, and razor-thin decisions. So, when Strickland started beating the ‘I was robbed’ drum, the UFC veteran decided it was time for a reality check. “There was a headbutt in the first fight that Sean Strickland said changed the trajectory of the fight,” Cormier pointed out during a chat with Chael Sonnen in Good Guy/Bad Guy. “He said that it made it more difficult for him to compete the way he did.”
Fair enough. Blood in the eye isn’t exactly ideal. But then came Strickland’s signature brand of insistence. “You took a round from me is because I couldn’t see…the world knows I won that fight.” Cormier’s response? “He’s [Sean] harping on it too much, at least in my opinion.” So, what’s DC getting at here? There’s a difference between acknowledging a bad break and letting it define your entire narrative. Look, ‘Tarzan’ didn’t get steamrolled. He set a divisional title fight record, landing 173 significant strikes.
Even Dana White thought the American won, “Three rounds to two, I had Strickland winning.” So, was it an outright robbery? Or did Strickland simply lose the optics battle? And the former champ can argue about bad luck all he wants, but his coach, Eric Nicksick, has a different take. Instead of crying over spilled blood, Nicksick is looking at what should have been done differently.
What happens to Sean Strickland’s sob story if his own corner isn’t buying it?
Speaking on The MMA Hour, the Xtreme Couture head honcho revealed the tweaks that could’ve swung the fight in Strickland’s favor. “Win a little bit more of the optics battle,” he explained. “Sean is death by 1,000 paper cuts when it comes to the jab, right? But sometimes, judges need to see variety.” Basically, Jabs are great, but mix it up, man.
Nicksick revealed that Strickland’s camp had drilled teeps (push kicks) to disrupt Du Plessis’ forward pressure, but guess what? He didn’t use them enough. “Even if it was just a kick to the body or teep, it got away from death by 1,000 paper cuts via jabs.” In other words, a little more diversity in striking could’ve swayed the judges instead of leaving them hypnotized by the same technique over and over.
So, what’s the takeaway? Strickland is still one of the toughest guys in the division, but if he wants that belt back, he might want to focus less on the headbutt and more on what he could have done better. Because as much as we all love a good conspiracy, sometimes the simplest explanation is the right one, he just got outworked in the eyes of the judges.
Because here’s the thing, while he was piecing up ‘Stillknocks’ with his signature Philly shell boxing approach, the South African was bringing the damage. That’s what the judges saw. A bloody mess. A fight that looked like Du Plessis was the aggressor. And judges don’t get a slow-motion replay of what’s actually effective.
They go by what looks dominant in real time. Strickland’s strikes were adding up, sure. But the current champ? He was making it count where it mattered. And now as for DC? He’s not here for the excuses. What do you think? Would the outcome have been different if not for the blinding clash? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
The post Daniel Cormier Confronts Sean Strickland for ‘Harping Too Much’ on Illegal Blow From Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 297 Fight appeared first on EssentiallySports.