UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland believes that Dricus Du Plessis’ unconventional fighting style makes him a tougher opponent than Khamzat Chimaev.
Sean Strickland ranks Dricus Du Plessis above Khamzat Chimaev
Strickland has opted to honour Du Plessis’ win over Robert Whittaker in a championship eliminator and rubbished the suggestion he had pushed for an easier fight.
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On the contrary Strickland says that he is getting ready for a wat
“I think Dricus is like so awkward he’s good,” Strickland said on his YouTube channel.
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“Where it’s like, you know, I’m a million times better than him, I spar guys he’s fought, I know who he is. But he’s so awkward he’s good. It’s gonna be a f***ing war. He’ll be a tougher fight than Chimaev.
“Chimaev, he doesn’t f***ing deserve it. We all know that. The only reason why Chimaev gets that shot is because he sells a lot of tickets. That’s it.”
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Is Chimaev injured?
Meanwhile rumours swirl that Chimaev is nursing an injury he picked up after his battle with Kamaru Usman.
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No injury has been disclosed and Chimaev has not suggested that the UFC reached out to him to be Strickland’s first defence.
The American said that he was happy with the opponent he has got because Du Plessis is someone deserving of a title shot.
“At the end of the day, man, I’m happy with Dricus,” Strickland said. “It’s gonna be a hell of a fight, and I’m just happy the UFC is doing the right thing.
“He’s next in line, he f***ing deserves it. They’ve been doing a lot of f***ery lately with rankings and bulls***. Just f***ing wrong, man. We need to go back to a professional sport where rankings matter because as of now, rankings mean f***-all s***.”
Strickland will face Du Plessis in Toronto, Canada on 20 January in what will be the South African’s first fight in the country.