Sean Strickland dismisses potential Robert Whittaker clash, firmly calls for title fight next: "If it ain't for gold, I ain't doing it"
Sean Strickland wants nothing less than a middleweight title fight, and turned down the idea of facing Robert Whittaker next as a title eliminator. With 'Tarzan' known to accept fights with anyone, anywhere, anytime, his change of attitude has come as a surprise.
Strickland believes he has earned the right to wait for another title shot, having successfully defended his No.1 middleweight ranking against Paulo Costa at UFC 302.
But following Whittaker's first-round KO win over Ikram Aliskerov on June 22, there were calls for a title eliminator bout between 'The Reaper' and the American. But 'Tarzan' pointed to the Australian's defeats to both Israel Adesanya and Dricus du Plessis as reason why fighting him made little sense.
The California native remained adamant that his hand should have been raised at UFC 297 against Du Plessis, and discussed a potential clash with Whittaker during a recent interview. He said this:
"Ain't happening. I'll say no, Whittaker, he doesn't deserve it. I'm next in line, I defended my title shot, I'm the number one contender, it ain't happening. He lost [inaudible] pretty unanimously. I beat [Adesanya], I beat Dricus. I got f**ked in Canada. It ain't happening. Ain't f**king happening... If it ain't for gold, I ain't doing it."
Watch Sean Strickland's interview below (1:30):
Sean Strickland predicts Dricus du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya at UFC 305
UFC 305 will be headlined by Dricus du Plessis and Israel Adesanya, who will have the chance to settle their difference over 25 minutes on Aug. 17.
'Stillknocks' was crowned the first promotional champion from South Africa after defeating Sean Strickland via split-decision at UFC 297. After rumors circled that Du Plessis could face Adesanya at the momentous UFC 300, the champion confirmed that an injury forced him to turn down the opportunity.
But the pair will officially clash in August, with the 30-year-old set to travel to enemy territory in Australia with aspirations of successfully defending his middleweight crown.
Having faced both Du Plessis and Adesanya, 'Tarzan' was asked to predict the title fight during his aforementioned interview. He said this:
"Up until I got cut [against Du Plessis] I didn't really think he was that good. I wasn't getting hit, I was hitting him... It depends how hard [Adesanya] trains... We'll see." [2:18-2:52]