“Only reason you took a round from me is because I couldn’t see” - Sean Strickland and Dricus du Plessis take beef to Instagram post UFC 297 scrap
It appears as though the rivalry between Sean Strickland and Dricus du Plessis is still alive and well as the two recently took their beef to Instagram following UFC 297 this past Saturday.
After a hard-fought and entertaining main event, du Plessis earned a split decision win to become the new middleweight champion. The judges scored the bout 48-47, 48-47, and 47-48 in favor of the South African, which was disputed among some fans online, and Dana White even stated that he believed 'Tarzan' won three rounds.
Strickland recently took to his Instagram account, where he shared a photo of his stitched eye and revealed that he was dealing with the nasty cut that hindered his ability to see but fought through it. He then mentioned that he believes he won the fight and discredited du Plessis' win. He wrote:
"I didn't take the coward's way out and tell the doctor I couldn't see and got a no contest. The only reason why you took a round from me is because I couldn't see.. I won that fight, the world knows I won that fight. The belt they gave you will never make you a champion, enjoy."
The reigning UFC middleweight champion then responded:
"Why don’t you cry about it… AGAIN"
![Sean Strickland's comments regarding his eye and du Plessis' response [Image courtesy: @stricklandmma - Instagram]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/01/cd7db-17059498940305-1920.jpg?w=500)
The fight delivered as advertised, so whether the UFC considers the option of booking an immediate rematch remains to be seen.
John McCarthy says judges' scorecards for Dricus du Plessis vs. Sean Strickland were justified
'Big' John McCarthy recently weighed in on the backlash and criticism for the judges' scorecard for the UFC 297 main event between Dricus du Plessis and Sean Strickland. He noted that he believes scorecards were justified.
The former MMA referee disputed the claims that the result was a robbery as he believes it was a close fight that could have gone either way. During episode #438 of Weighing IN, he mentioned that he didn't have any issues with how the fight was scored. He said:
"Every judge went with the fifth round going to [Sean] Strickland also. And it is that middle ground, Sal D'Amato gave Strickland the third round...The other two Derek Clearly and Eric Colon, they had their scores are exactly the same throughout. So, look, it was a close fight and it was a fight where I could see it going either way, but there is nothing to complain about." [21:16 - 21:46]
Check out the full episode below: