Ahead of their UFC middleweight title fight rematch at UFC 312, Dricus Du Plessis and Sean Strickland are again adding fuel to the fire.
The news that Sean Strickland was receiving another middleweight title shot came as quite a shock considering he has only picked up one win since losing his title to Dricus Du Plessis last January.
Despite that, the promotion announced that the two are scheduled to face back off at UFC 312 on Feb 8 in Sydney Australia, snubbing Khamzat Chimaev‘s chances, although the majority of the fanbase expected him to be next.
Following UFC 311 this past Saturday, Du Plessis was sensationally called out by lightweight champion, Islam Makhachev, who admitted his desire to become a triple champion.
READ MORE: ‘It works’… Robert Whittaker and Israel Adesanya laugh at the way Dricus du Plessis fights
Du Plessis hits back after Strickland sends him an offer
Under a month out from their huge grudge match, Strickland has sent ‘Stillknocks’ a ‘gentleman’s agreement’ offer to stand and strike and not to wrestle during the fight.
The former middleweight champion’s fight style always comes under extremely heavy criticism because of his basic approach to striking, however, he has clearly showcased that it can be effective.
Similarly, the South African’s fight style gets continuously flamed due to his sloppy tendencies, however, like Strickland, he has shown the effectiveness of his style.
Du Plessis has shown that he is slightly more well-rounded than Strickland, especially in his last fight against Israel Adesanya when he finished the fight via submission, landing four of nine takedown attempts.
With that, ‘Stillknocks’ has responded to Strickland’s stand-up-only offer.
“There are no pacts between lions and men,” the champion responded.
Khamzat Chimaev waits patiently in line for his title shot
Likely feeling disappointed to miss out on the middleweight title shot after a crushing win over Robert Whittaker, Chimaev is waiting patiently in line and is chipping away at Strickland.
Prior to the UFC 312 fight booking, Strickland and Chimaev continuously went at each other online, beginning what looked to be the start of a potentially long feud.
‘Borz’ has continued his banter with Strickland online, despite the fact the two used to train together.