Ahead of his UFC 312 title rematch against the undisputed glorious goofy ‘Dutchman’, Sean Strickland declared he was ready for war. “No man he got a gift from god with the headbutt. Just is what it is. Would have piece you up walk through. You look at my face after look at your face after. Looks like it got hit by a truck. The same s–t is going to happen. There ain’t gonna be blood in my eye…to the de–h Dutchman to the death.”

However, when Strickland met Dricus Du Plessis‘ relentless forward pressure, the aftermath seemed a little different. Lack of initiative as evidenced by his former coach Eric Nicksick’s recent comments, a battered nose, and the ultimate failure to get the gold back around his waist. Fights fans expected a barrage of fury similar to Trevor from GTA V but had to sit through the lackluster display expected from someone like Lester. Remember! This is the fight game and the toughest sport in the world. One bad performance and the narrative shifts—fans turn, and critics pile on your entire existence.

This is exactly the case with Strickland who is under the radar after his title performance in Australia. Many experts and former fighters including Din Thomas and Luke Rockhold have criticized ‘Tarzan’ and now Robert Whittaker has also joined the pack. The former 185lbs champion recently sat down for a chat with 205fer Anthony Smith on his podcast to share his thoughts on the bout.

Bobby Knuckles seemed highly disappointed with Strickland and said, “When we put them into the second fight, and I think to myself, what can Strickland do differently to get a different outcome? And honestly, he wasn’t fighting. You know he didn’t change anything. We saw that. Dricus had evolved and had gone through hard fights. Had made some changes, like we saw him get better in the time that they fought [at UFC 297].”

Whittaker then pointed out how the verbose American had a lot to prove the second time around but failed to do so. “When he fought easy the second time, I thought he (Dricus) was a better version of himself than he fought Strickland. Strickland was on the bench, he was just chilling waiting for that fight. So that was always my biggest sticking point with who’s going to win that second fight?” 

Well, the South African is currently waiting for his next fight and it seems his rivalry with Strickland has finally come to an end. But it seems ‘Stillknocks’ isn’t quite satisfied with his latest performance. Let’s see what he had to say.

Dricus Du Plessis feels he made this one mistake vs. Sean Strickland at UFC 312

According to the South African, ‘Tarzan’ was relentless, constantly pressing the action and searching for openings in every round. His corner urged him to go for the finish as the clock wound down, but for Du Plessis, it was nothing he hadn’t seen before. Having battled through high-pressure moments in the past, he stayed composed and unshaken by Strickland’s relentless aggression. The 31-year-old added that Strickland did find a bit of success throughout their five-round slugfest, but then again, it didn’t matter enough because the champ was landing some heavy shots himself.

But there was one moment in the fight where ‘Stillknocks’ lost his cool, which could have hampered the outcome. While speaking on the ESPN show, Du Plessis praised the challenger and said, “I know Sean Strickland by now. He goes for it and tries to end the round with a win. And that [last] 30 seconds, he would throw those haymakers and I have to tell you, I can take those all day.”

However, he then pointed out a major mistake he made in the final rounds of the fight and said, “He’s a hard guy to catch even when I broke his nose. I went for it and that was the one mistake I made. It was not staying calm. I just went crazy.” And there is merit to what Du Plessis said. The middleweight champion could only land 46 percent of his total 316 attempts. Moreover, he reflected on his performance, giving himself a 7 out of 10 and expressing his determination to improve in future fights.

What do you think about Sean Strickland’s performance at UFC 312? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!