"Would absolutely step in" - Dricus Du Plessis throws his name into the mix to fight Jared Cannonier after 'The Killa Gorilla's' fight against Sean Strickland is off
Dricus Du Plessis has put his name forward to step in as a replacement for Sean Strickland and fight Jared Cannonier at the UFC Fight Night event on October 15. Strickland was forced to pull out of his scheduled bout after he suffered an injury to his finger.
Sean Strickland cut his right index finger on the teeth of one of his sparring partners. UFC middleweight Dricus Du Plessis has thrown his hat in the ring by claiming that he's willing to save the day and fight the Texan-born middleweight:
''Would absolutely step in and face@killagorillamma but we all saw what happened last time I gave up a fight to save the day against @KelvinGastelum Anyway I have somthing way more exciting on the horizon #preparetobeamazed🇿🇦''
Check out Du Plessis' post below:
Would absolutely step in and face @killagorillamma but we all saw what happened last time I gave up a fight to save the day against @KelvinGastelum
Anyway I have somthing way more exciting on the horizon #preparetobeamazed🇿🇦
Du Plessis has had a bad experience in the past when he stepped in as a last-minute replacement at UFC 273. Kelvin Gastelum was originally scheduled to fight Nassourdine Imavov, but the Russian-French middleweight was pulled from the event due to complications with his visa.
The South African was at Dubai Airport on a layover from his native South Africa to Jacksonville when the UFC called to offer him Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 273. Unfortunately for him, Gastelum pulled out of the fight due to an undisclosed injury.
How many times has Sean Strickland pulled out of a UFC fight?
Sean Strickland was a former King of the Cage middleweight champion before he entered the UFC. Strickland made his UFC debut at UFC 171 on March 15, 2014, and faced Bubba McDaniel. 'Tarzan' won the fight via a rear-naked choke submission in the first round.
Strickland was expected to face Tim Means on August 20, 2016, at UFC 202. Unfortunately, he pulled out of the fight, citing a knee injury. He also had a long layoff due to a motorcycle accident in December 2018. Sean Strickland suffered several injuries in the incident, which left him unconscious for several hours. He was out of action for two years.
Despite suffering a horrific accident, #UFCVegas12 winner @SStricklandMMA admits he's still "addicted" to his motorcycle. 🏍️
Watch full interview: youtu.be/nUwjguehw9g https://t.co/ieIbkBEBXe
The Cannonier bout marks the second time Strickland has pulled out of a UFC fight.