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Strickland & DDP erupt in war of words | 02:12
So you ask Dana White if the rumours are true about him having employed a security guard to shadow Sean Strickland on the streets of Sydney in recent days?
After all, it’s been that sort of week.
UFC 312: Du Plessis v Strickland 2 | SUN 9 FEB | UFC middleweight king Dricus du Plessis is headed back Down Under for yet another title defence, with the South African set to face Sean Strickland in a blockbuster UFC 312 headliner in Sydney. | Order Now with Main Event on Kayo Sports. Main Event on Kayo Sports and Foxtel is the exclusive home of UFC Pay-Per-View.
One where 33-year-old Strickland, a big talkin’, gun totin’, self-confessed piece of American white trash — and fella fighting no less than Dricus du Plessis for the UFC middleweight crown, Sunday — has morphed into what Australian sports fans reckon is either the UFC’s greatest everyman or imbecile.
It really all depends with whom you speak.
Take Wednesday, for example.
An incredible fight week hump where Strickland woke to accusations of being said imbecile on The Daily Telegraph’s backpage – right alongside a headline screaming for somebody to knock him out – yet finished it being so loudly cheered by delirious fans inside a UFC 312 press conference … well, good luck hearing anything else.
All up, the continuation of a yarn that has seen Strickland brand Australia “communists”, label our gun laws “pathetic” and take the big stick to plenty more that would only look worse written here.
Yet among Australia’s fighting faithful, he remains in every sense the A side.
Part of which, undeniably, is due to this Las Vegas native initially taking the UFC title from Israel Adesanya in this same city some 18 months ago – forever tattooing Strickland to one of the sport’s greatest championship upsets.
Yet undeniably too, fans love the unlikely rise of a fella who was born into nothing, then somehow given worse.
A fighter who despite the odds, and abuse, despite everything he was taught about life early on, and everything he missed, has still risen up among the elite of his sport thanks to a diet of hard work, grit, jabs and teeps.
Of course, there are some who simply love the madness of a fighter dubbed Tarzan, too.
Love that during his last stint in the Harbour City, Strickland was both harangued in State Parliament and almost charged after punching a fan – which he later insisted was a playful slap — on the streets in Bondi.
And this week, impossibly, the bloke is making bigger headlines again.
To all of which, White says what?
“This is what we expected,” the UFC boss shrugs, kicking back now in the bowels of Qudos Bank Arena, awaiting that press conference in which arguably his company’s most unhinged fighter will star.
“And the closer we get to the fight, he’ll get progressively worse …”
Worse?
Only a tick over 48 hours out from his hyped title rematch with South Africa’s du Plessis, and Strickland has already gone rogue on topics as wide as Australia’s red light cameras, COVID past, even our first UFC champion.
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Speaking with Fox Sports Australia on Tuesday, Strickland doubled down on suggestions former world champ Robert Whittaker was, at times, “a can” – criticising his attitude before several fights including, most recently, a loss to division bogeyman Khamzat Chimaev.
And of course, Strickland had plenty to say about “whore” Chimaev too.
But good luck finding another fighter in the UFC who doesn’t love, and respect, ‘ol Bobby Knuckles.
“But the worst thing about Rob,” Strickland told us, “you just know who is going to show up.
“Sometimes he’ll walk to fight and I’ll be like ‘dude, you’re the baddest motherf***er on the planet’.
“Then sometimes a guy shows up and it’s ‘what are you doing … were you smoking weed in the back?’.
“He’s about to have a fight and just chilling.
“You just don’t know which guy will show up …”
Yet just as quickly, Strickland extends himself an invitation to train with Whittaker.
“Because I really like Rob,” he says, “great guy.
“And if our paths diverge in a fighting sense, I’d love to train with him.”
But again, this is how things have gone all week.
None of which surprises White, nor will move him to any type of sanction.
A longtime defender of free speech – even if that includes the worst kind – White insists he won’t draw a line in the sand when it comes to anything his fighters say publicly, regardless of how vehemently he may disagree with what’s being uttered.
In recent days, for example, UFC featherweight Bryce Mitchell kicked off the debut episode of his new podcast by claiming Adolf Hitler was a “good guy” – even a fella he could go fishin’ with — before adding “there’s no possible way” the Holocaust happened.
Within hours, White branded Mitchell’s words “beyond disgusting”, but stopped short of stripping his contract.
“So you know my philosophy on this,” the UFC boss continued on the topic of Strickland’s own rants this week.
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Then soon after, adding of fight week antics generally: “Talk doesn’t mean s***.
“Once you get in there, it’s all about the fighting.”
Regardless, and ever since Strickland jetted into Sydney on Monday, there has reportedly been, at least when out in public anyway, a staffer shadowing him everywhere.
Asked to confirm, White continues: “Well, what we don’t need this week is anything bad happening in the lead up to the fight.
“Whether it’s people who don’t like him, or somebody says something, something goes wrong, whatever, our job is to make sure that once we’re in fight week, the event goes off no matter what.”
But as for Strickland having caused him any issues behind the scenes, or with NSW Premier Chris Minns, who has the UFC down here as part of a $16 million deal?
“No, no,” White stresses.
“And there’s always bulls*** going on in this business.
“It’s not always the low hanging fruit, the stuff you guys see, either.
“It’s all the stuff you don’t see.
“And it’s every day.
“Every day when I wake up I’m detailing with some bulls***.”
Yet still, the brash American remains front of mind for the UFC boss.
A truth proved in the very next interview White did with Main Event’s Niko Pajarillo shortly after our own.
While Pajarillo started his interview about du Plessis, and suggested the UFC champ would be a promoter’s dream, White responded with: “Yeah, a nightmare.
“We’re talking about Sean Strickland, right …”
No, Dricus.
“Oh, Dricus is great,” he laughed.
“A real pro.
“I actually ran into him at the hotel and what’s really smart of him, he’s been out here acclimating for a couple of weeks.
“Came out here to get used to the humidity, the time, all those other factors you need to get used to.
“Ronda Rousey, when she fought out here, she flew in three days before the fight.
“She then had a hard time cutting weight because of it and you saw how that fight ended.
“But Dricus and his team are really smart.
“Overall, they’ve got a good head for the business.”
But Strickland?
“I think it’s at a point now where people are used to it,” he said of the fighter’s efforts this week.
“Nobody is as shocked anymore as when he first burst onto the scene.
“But as the fight gets closer he ramps up and the crazier he starts talking.
“I’m just glad he’s on the back of the paper and not the front.”
Undeniably though, the guy can fight.
“Sean Strickland is tough for everybody,” White agreed of his main event, before adding: “They both have very awkward styles.
“Sean has an unbelievable jab that he pumps out there.
“Tough, durable, good chin.
“Always moving forward, always putting pressure on you.
“And Dricus, I’ve said his fighting style is like a white guy dancing.
UFC 312: Du Plessis v Strickland 2 | SUN 9 FEB | UFC middleweight king Dricus du Plessis is headed back Down Under for yet another title defence, with the South African set to face Sean Strickland in a blockbuster UFC 312 headliner in Sydney. | Order Now with Main Event on Kayo Sports. Main Event on Kayo Sports and Foxtel is the exclusive home of UFC Pay-Per-View.
“Very awkward.
“Very hard to train for.
“It’s hard to get a sparring partner, I assume, to imitate what du Plessis does.”
Elsewhere, White confirmed he was also still in the process of finalising what will be next for Australia’s Alexander Volkanovski, who was initially being talked up for his own title rematch with Ilia Topuria at UFC 314 in April.
Speaking earlier this week however, Topuria suggested he would rather move up and challenge UFC lightweight champ Islam Makhachev next, with Volk to instead square off against either Diego Lopes or Movsar Evloev for an interim strap.
“And we’re literally working on all that stuff right now,” White told Fox Sports Australia.
“Trying to figure out all these different scenarios and possibilities.
“But Volk, the guy is a legend.
“What more does he have to prove?
“Right now it’s about ‘can you regain the title, can he break more records, make more money’, stuff like that.
“But that guy, he’s already done it all.”
