Sean Strickland reacts after Dana White confirms he will fight the winner of Dricus Du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya: "I won't let you down"
Sean Strickland recently expressed his thoughts on Dana White's announcement that he would be fighting for the UFC middleweight title next. According to White, Strickland will face the winner of Dricus du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya, which is set to go down at UFC 305 this weekend.
Strickland's year didn't start the way he had hoped, as the 33-year-old was defeated by du Plessis in a very close fight at UFC 297 back in January. 'Tarzan' sought an instant rematch after the loss, claiming he was robbed by the judges.
Despite this, the promotion decided to make du Plessis vs. Adesanya when they still had the chance since they didn't want to lose the matchup again, as the two fighters were slated to face each other after the South African's win over Robert Whittaker at UFC 290.
As a result, Strickland had to face former title challenger Paulo Costa at UFC 302. The former champion, who feels he has earned the right to wait, has been demanding another shot at UFC gold since he successfully defeated the Brazilian via split decision to defend his No. 1 ranking.
After defeating Costa, Strickland declared he would not compete in another bout and would instead wait to be offered the opportunity to fight for the title against du Plessis or Adesanya. It seems that his wish has come true.
In a recent appearance on The Jim Rome Show, White confirmed that Strickland is next in line for the UFC middleweight title. The UFC CEO said:
''Listen, Sean Strickland right now is the number one ranked middleweight in the world, and the answer is yes (he will be next to fight for the title).''
Check out Dana White's comments below:
Excited by the news, Strickland posted on Instagram, writing:
''To war!! I appreciate you guys!!!!! I won't let you down!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!''
Israel Adesanya reacts to Sean Strickland getting a shot at the title
Israel Adesanya was defeated by Sean Strickland and lost his middleweight title at UFC 293. However, Strickland's reign was short-lived as Dricus du Plessis defeated the American at UFC 297 to eventually set up a highly anticipated fight with Adesanya at UFC 305.
According to a recent announcement by Dana White, Strickland is next in line for the middleweight title. Speaking of which, Adesanya shared his thoughts on his old rival receiving a shot at the title in an interview with Oscar Willis, saying:
"Oh, really? Oh nice. OK, cool. That's nice, I didn't think the UFC would announce it like that but I thought maybe [Robert] Whittaker vs. Khamzat [Chimaev]. I have to think about it, I like it. I don't mind it, I like it. Cool.''
Check out Israel Adesanya's comments below: