Isn’t it frustrating when someone is accused of a certain thing, but instead of accepting it plainly or denying it simply (or staying quiet about it), they say something so outrageously bizarre that it becomes hard to confirm those accusations? “I give staph, I don’t f—— get staph”, Sean Strickland proclaimed at the UFC 312 pre-fight presser while clearly sporting a bruise on his left arm that looks like a staph infection. The rumors started making the rounds when Dricus Du Plessis shared a photo by ESPN MMA on his IG stories of Strickland from his last title fight compared to him ahead of his UFC 312 fight.
“What? He grew taller and added staph infection to his arsenal.. O s—!”, said the caption of Du Plessis’ story. And what if this is true? Will it affect his ability to fight at UFC 312? Strickland denied having staph, but in a manner so outrageous, it’s hard to question him unless Dana White and Co. put pressure on him. ‘Tarzan’ is the kind of man that keeps pushing the pace, regardless of what he’s going through. Knowing Strickland, he’ll fight this Saturday regardless of whether he has a staph infection or not. Furthermore, UFC Hall of Famer Michael Bisping doesn’t think it’s going to be an issue for the title contender.
“He denied it,” Michael Bisping told Submission Radio. “If that’s what Sean says… I mean, the man wants to fight [and] I think the fight’s going to go ahead. I think Sean Strickland, his style, he has cardio for days, anyway. I’ve trained with Sean. He doesn’t really get tired. He can push the pace.”
There are two issues if ‘Tarzan’ does indeed have a staph infection. One, he risks spreading the infection, especially in a close-quarter combat situation. Dana White and Co. are never happy when a fighter hides an affliction from the medical team and still competes. So there could be a possibility of repercussions from the company’s side, especially if Strickland loses. The second issue is the fact that fans feel Strickland may have a built-in excuse on Saturday if he loses to the middleweight champion.
And for his sake, Sean Strickland needs to keep up with the pace for five rounds, given that Dricus du Plessis isn’t one to gas out too easily either. But what exactly did he have to say about the staph infection scare? Well, true to form, the former champion seemed totally unbothered about it.
Sean Strickland denies having a staph infection in an expletive rant
Wearing a sleeveless shirt didn’t help Sean Strickland at all during the recent presser, since a reporter decided to call him out on it. The 33-year-old was visibly frustrated with the question. In response, ‘Tarzan’ set the record straight about his situation, claiming that he’s never going to succumb to such an illness and is hellbent on delivering a performance with all guns blazing against Dricus du Plessis.
June 29, 2022, LAS VEGAS, NV, LAS VEGAS, NV, United States: LAS VEGAS, NV – June 29: Sean Strickland meets with the press for media day at UFC Apex for UFC 276 – Adesanya vs Cannonier – Media Day on June 29, 2022 in LAS VEGAS, NV, United States. (Credit Image: © Louis Grasse/PX Imagens via ZUMA Press Wire)
“Listen you motherf—–s. I’m immune to staph. You see this f—— mustache? I give staph, I don’t f—— get staph,” stated Sean Strickland. “Calm the f— down. I don’t get sick. I don’t get f***ing injured and I don’t get f—— staph. So relax… I’m going to be out there on Sunday and I’m going to come out f—— hard and strong. The hardest and strongest you’ve ever f—— seen. To the f—— death, Dutchman!”
Sean Strickland says some outrageous things, so it’s hard to decipher when he’s being serious and when he’s trolling. Regardless, his words seem to reflect the fact that he’s locked in for the middleweight title headliner at UFC 312. All that remains to be seen is if his alleged staph infection gets in the way of winning back the title from the man he lost it to. What do you think will happen? Let us know in the comments down below.
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