Dana White admitted that it’s he, and not the Australian government, who is averse to having Sean Strickland headline major fights after his loss at UFC 312.
The UFC boss was speaking in jest as he was quizzed about the divisive reaction Strickland receives in Australian media over his controversial antics. The former middleweight champion had his nose broken in a gruesome main event in Sydney which broke gate records for New South Wales.
And White noted how despite the fact he lost every round to Dricus Du Plessis, Strickland is clearly one of the most professional fighters in the world inside the cage. He never allowed the champion to get a true rhythm, and made it awkward for all ten of their rounds over two fights.
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Dana White makes hilarious Sean Strickland admission after UFC 312
Sean Strickland’s antics in the lead-up to his two fights in Australia led to national newspapers begging for him to be knocked out. But when Dana White was asked whether the local government asked for him to be removed, he joked that he’s the one who does that.
The UFC are paid a site fee by government in New South Wales to host events annually in Sydney, which generate massive revenues at the box office. But White insists that they aren’t concerned about Strickland, who is one of the most controversial fighters in the world.
“I do that,” he joked when a media member asked if the government ever quietly try to influence against a Strickland main event. “Are you kidding me? I do that! Everyone knows my stance on this, we’re going to take guys and girls that say and do a lot of things.
“I’m a big believer in free speech and it probably seems worse when you come here because your media are such weak human beings. I thought we had weak media, you guys win hands down.”
Dana White hails Sean Strickland’s professionalism in Dricus Du Plessis defeat
Despite the fact that Strickland and Du Plessis’ rematch was not particularly competitive, White was keen to stress how impressed he was with the Americans professionalism in the cage. He noted the commonly-viewed truth that while he talks a big game, his fight style is very safe and technical.
“I’ll tell you something fascinating that I noticed tonight for the first time,” White said. “So Sean Strickland, the way that he acts leading up to fights, right? Normally when you have guys who act the way that he acts you see signs of it in a fight.
“Who is more focused, professional and solid in a fight than he is when he gets hurt? No sticking out the tongue or ‘no no, that didn’t hurt me’ or anything. The guy stays focused, keeps coming forward, there’s never any hint of how he acts outside of the octagon when he’s in there.
“Absolute professional the whole time, it’s actually fascinating. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that with a guy who acts the way he does leading up to fights.”
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