Sean Strickland challenges Dricus du Plessis, hints at 2025 rematch date
Former middleweight king Sean Strickland has hinted at a date and an opponent for his return to the UFC octagon. 'Tarzan' uploaded a video to his Instagram stories which featured a montage of him fighting in the UFC. In the story, Strickland challenged current champion Dricus du Plessis for a showdown in March 2025.
"March... Me and you, Dutchman."
Check out a screenshot of Sean Strickland's Instagram story below:
Strickland and du Plessis have faced off in the UFC before. Their first encounter took place in January at UFC 297 for the middleweight throne. The event took place at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Canada.
The bout turned out to be an entertaining back-and-forth affair where both fighters had moments of success. The matchup went the five-round distance and ended in a razor-close split-decision victory for 'Stillknocks'. The three judges scored the bout 47-48, 48-47 and 48-47 in favor of the South African.
After their battle, Strickland went on to fight and defeat Paulo Costa at UFC 302. Meanwhile, du Plessis successfully defended his title against Israel Adesanya via fourth-round submission at UFC 305.
Now that they have both gone out and scored impressive wins post their first clash, it seems like du Plessis and Strickland's paths might cross again soon.
Another name that is currently in contention for a shot at the middleweight gold is Khamzat Chimaev. ' Borz' is currently undefeated in his MMA career with a 14-0 record. In his last UFC outing, he made light work of former champion Robert Whittaker and submitted him in the opening round at UFC 308.