UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis sacrificed an important time in his life to fight Sean Strickland twice.
Dricus du Plessis will face Sean Strickland in a highly-anticipated middleweight title rematch in the UFC 312 main event next weekend in Australia. He’ll return to defend the belt against the man he defeated for it at UFC 297 last year.
Du Plessis reined in a new era in the middleweight division when he finished Israel Adesanya in his last fight at UFC 305. Just months later, he’ll face Strickland in a rematch after the former titleholder defeated Paulo Costa at UFC 302 last year.
While du Plessis is laser-focused on potentially defeating Strickland again and putting their rivalry on the shelf, he misses out on some much-needed family time in the process.
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Dricus du Plessis missed two Christmas holidays due to Sean Strickland camps
In a recent interview with CBS Sports‘ Shakiel Mahjouri, du Plessis revealed the sacrifices he’s made ahead of his two middleweight title fights with Strickland.
“As a Christian man, last year… I had no Christmas. No holidays with the family after spending the whole year just fighting,” du Plessis said. “The last two weeks of the year are always committed to my family over Christmas…then this year again fighting in February, you’re in the middle of your training camp and you can’t really spend that time with family. I know there’s a lot of fighters who aren’t Christian who don’t celebrate Christmas, I just thought it would make more sense to let them fight in January or February. That was the one thing where I was like ‘Ah, I had to do this again!’.
“Now everybody has priorities with families too, and everyone had to once again cancel plans with families to train…it’s asking a lot of your teammates and coaches, and that’s the one thing where I felt that there needs to be some changes around that.”
Du Plessis and Strickland’s first fight featured a wild buildup. This included a crowd brawl, a dark pre-fight press conference, and back-and-forth jabs between the two sides.
Amidst their rivalry, du Plessis sacrificed quality time with his family to face Strickland inside the Octagon. But he opted to sign on the dotted line and fulfill his duties as a UFC titleholder.
Dricus du Plessis/Sean Strickland pact falls apart ahead of UFC 312
Ahead of UFC 312, Strickland attempted to get du Plessis to agree to a pact for a complete stand-up fight inside the Octagon. But his attempt wasn’t successful, and he quickly took a U-turn on that stance.
The du Plessis vs. Strickland 2 winner will likely face the undefeated Khamzat Chimaev next after UFC 312. The Adesanya vs. Nassourdine Imavov winner this weekend will also be in the mix for a potential title shot.
If du Plessis can bring finality to his rivalry with Strickland, he’ll reach a new level of stardom, and cement himself as an all-time great middleweight. At the same time, he’s looking forward to spending time with his inner circle after UFC 312 concludes.