UFC President Dana White didn’t mince phrases Saturday night time when he was requested in regards to the melee involving fighters Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis.
The 2 fought within the stands forward of UFC 297 on Jan. 29. They had been in attendance for UFC 296, which was main-evented by Colby Covington and Leon Edwards. White took accountability for the brawl, blaming himself for placing the 2 heavy hitters subsequent to one another.
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Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis face off throughout the UFC 2024 seasonal press convention at MGM Grand Backyard Enviornment on Dec. 15, 2023, in Las Vegas. (Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC by way of Getty Photographs)
”What sort of an a–hole sits Strickland subsequent to du Plessis,” White requested rhetorically. ”This a–hole, that’s who. … I do each seating task each week. How f—ing silly is that? I imply, severely, I don’t know what people you may sit Strickland subsequent to, however positively not Du Plessis. I don’t know the way I missed that.”
”It is my job to be sure that stuff doesn’t occur. If I wasn’t an a–hole, these two wouldn’t have been sitting subsequent to one another. It blows my thoughts that I let that slip.”
Du Plessis was booing Strickland earlier than the latter stood up, pointed an imaginary gun in his path and fired away. That’s when Strickland rotated and began having phrases with Du Plessis. Strickland then informed these in between him and Du Plessis – at the least one child was within the row behind him – to maneuver over.
With cameras nonetheless educated on them, Strickland approached Du Plessis and began to throw punches, touchdown his proper hand on Du Plessis’ head quite a few occasions.
Dricus Du Plessis reacts after defeating Robert Whittaker (not pictured) throughout UFC 290 at T-Cell Enviornment in Las Vegas on July 8, 2023. (Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports activities)
The feud went to social media afterward, too.
”I am going arduous on everybody I do know this, izzy mouth feeding his canine, Dricus kissing his coach and grabbing his cup,” Strickland wrote on X, calling out fellow UFC fighter Israel Adesanya within the course of. ”[Sean] Omalley (sic) speaking about sharing his spouse in a podcast. You’re a person, on a world stage doing this in public.”
Du Plessis fired proper again together with his personal.
”Now I perceive why you may have a 33% end fee, you hit like a lady, additionally 20 January the safety gained’t be there to save lots of your life once I’m on prime #rentfree,” Du Plessis tweeted.
Sean Strickland celebrates after defeating Israel Adesanya (not pictured) throughout UFC 293 at Qudos Financial institution Enviornment in Sydney on Sept. 9, 2023. (Jasmin Frank-USA TODAY Sports activities)
Strickland is 28-5 in his MMA profession with a 15-5 mark in UFC. Du Plessis is 20-2 all-time and 6-0 in UFC.
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UFC 297 is ready for Toronto.
Fox Information’ Scott Thompson contributed to this report.