"They still haven't said the words" - Chael Sonnen claims rematch between Dricus du Plessis and Sean Strickland "probably never going to happen"
Chael Sonnen recently weighed in on a potential rematch between Dricus du Plessis and Sean Strickland. 'The American Gangster' stated that it's unlikely the pair would face each other again and explained why he thought so.
'Stillknocks' challenged Strickland for the UFC middleweight title at UFC 297 last weekend at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Canada. Their fight was a closely contested affair, and after five hard-fought rounds, du Plessis was declared the new middleweight champion via split decision.
In the aftermath, the South African fighter notably called out Israel Adesanya. However, given the tightly contested nature of the fight, many fans called for an immediate rematch between Strickland and du Plessis.
In a recent video uploaded to YouTube, Sonnen explained why he doesn't see the rematch happening. Pointing out that contenders like Khamzat Chimaev and Adesanya have been angling for a title fight against du Plessis, Sonnen said:
"Look at Strickland and du Plessis. Looks like there's something there that you guys want. I haven't heard either one call for it. And I know that both are fully aware that the direction the organization is going is Adesanya-du Plessis. Both are fully aware that Chimaev is speaking up and has been promised that opportunity.
He continued:
"If they don't get in front of Chimaev and they don't get in front of Izzy, it's probably never going to happen again. But they still haven't quite said the words."
Catch Chael Sonnen's comments below (9:10):
Robert Whittaker on potential Dricus du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya fight
Robert Whittaker recently shared his take on a potential Dricus du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya fight. 'The Reaper' opined that if the two actually fought, 'Stillknocks' would win.
As mentioned, du Plessis recently defeated Sean Strickland to win the UFC middleweight title and immediately called out Adesanya for a grudge match. The two share a tumultuous history.
In a recent interview on The MMA Hour, Whittaker weighed in on a potential du Plessis vs. Adesanya title fight and stated that he's going with the South African fighter. 'The Reaper' explained:
"I’m going to say DDP. Just because, like Sean with Dricus, the safe bet is Sean, but Dricus showed what he was willing to do and what he was willing to go through. Can he do that again against Izzy? Who knows?... He’s awkward, and he’s going to be pushing forward that entire time. It doesn’t matter if he’s getting hit, he showed that tenacity in that fight. So I’ll go DDP."
Catch Robert Whittaker's comments below (15:10):