LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] doesn’t think [autotag]Dricus Du Plessis[/autotag] deserves to be in the title conversation.
Du Plessis (19-2 MMA, 5-0 UFC) meets former champion Robert Whittaker (24-6 MMA, 15-4 UFC) on the UFC 290 main card July 8 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
With UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya manifesting a Du Plessis win, the South African fighter likely will earn the next title shot if he beats Whittaker. But Strickland doesn’t see Du Plessis as worthy – even though he sees Whittaker beating him, anyway.
“I think Whittaker’s going to f*ck Dricus up,” Strickland told reporters at the UFC on ESPN 47 media day Wednesday. “I think we all know that. That’s kind of a like a fight, why is this happening? Dricus fought (Derek) Brunson. Is Brunson retired yet? No, he’s not retired yet?
“When’s the last time you’ve seen a top 10 guy quit on the stool? Have you ever seen that? You don’t see that sh*t. It’s kind of embarrassing that Dricus gets a potential shot. But, you know, Izzy, the Chinese, the true Chinese, they probably want to bring a real African back to the championship.”
Strickland (26-5 MMA, 13-5 UFC) hopes to emerge as the next title challenger when he meets Abus Magomedov (25-4-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 47 headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The main card airs on ESPN following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 47.