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Makhachev chokes out Moicano with ease! | 04:38
Dricus du Plessis has warned Sean Strickland he has “the ability to kill him” should he accept the American’s challenge to stay standing throughout their UFC 312 blockbuster – while also stressing there is no situation in which pound-for-pound king Islam Makhachev ever beats him.
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Speaking with Fox Sports Australia this week, South Africa’s UFC middleweight champ also questioned why he would ever agree to another pact with Strickland, branding the brash American a “fake tough guy” who backed out of their infamous ‘to the f***ing death’ pact last year.
The comments come only days after Strickland – who challenges du Plessis for the middleweight crown in Sydney on February 9 – took to social media and urged the champ to “stand up like f***ing men” in their impending showdown.
Elsewhere, Makhachev has also called out du Plessis for a superfight, despite competing two weight divisions lighter.
Currently on an unbeaten Octagon tear stretching through all eight appearances, du Plessis is looking to make his second championship defence when he throws down against Strickland inside Qudos Bank Arena.
The showdown comes little more than a year since the pair squared off for the first time at UFC 297, with the fighter dubbed ‘Stillknocks’ taking Strickland’s crown via a contentious split decision win.
Having jetted into Sydney early on Thursday morning, du Plessis will now spend the next fortnight making final preparations for his hyped UFC title defence inside Qudos Bank Arena.
As part of a busy first two days Down Under, the champ mixed training with a ‘Learn to Surf’ lesson early on Friday before then heading to the iconic Bondi Icebergs with his team and new fiancée, Vasti Spiller.
Earlier this week, Strickland threw out the first barbs of what is expected to be an intense build when, taking to social media, he suggested the champ agree to keep their impending title showdown standing.
“Listen Dutchman,” the polarising challenger started, “I’m gonna need you to be a f***ing man.
“I’m gonna need you to stand up, not go to your knees, and we’re gonna need to f***ing strike like men.
“I know you like to wrestle, you like to f***ing choke people out and do some g** s***, dude.
“But I’ll make a pact with you, you make a pact with me, that we f***ing stand up like f***ing men and we settle this s*** like men.”
Almost immediately, DDP tweeted back: “There are no pacts between lions and men”.
Asked to expand on Strickland’s request while kicking back at Icebergs on Friday, the champ said: “Look, it’s a ridiculous thing to ask.
“If you want to make pacts about us just standing up, go do boxing.
“I don’t go into fights thinking I have to stand up, or take the guy down.
“I do what the situation tells me to do.
“That’s what MMA fighters do.
“I’m comfortable everywhere.”
Still, DDP surprisingly hinted he expects his championship fight will most likely stay standing for as long as it lasts – and predicted he would finish the man who only 15 months ago famously won UFC gold in Sydney against Israel Adesanya.
“One hundred per cent, I think we are most likely going to keep it standing,” du Plessis said.
“I know I have the cardio, know I can push him back, and I know I have the power to knock him out.
“So for me that’s great.
“Then, if the opportunity comes to get a takedown, it’s a decision you have to make immediately.
“If you see the moment you take it.”
Back in January last year, du Plessis took the UFC middleweight strap from Strickland following a tough, and contentious, split decision win at UFC 297 in Toronto, Canada.
Prior to the bout during fight week, the America had eyeballed his rival during a tense face off and said: “Dricus, can I get an agreement? To the f***ing death … to the f***ing death”.
Now a year on, DDP insists his rival never honored the deal on which they shook.
“He said ‘to the death’ and I was ready for that,” the 31-year-old recounted this week.
“You saw it, too.
“I went forward for 23 minutes of a 25 minute fight.
“But from him?
“It was jabs and teeps.
“Against Paulo Costa next fight, same thing.
“So to the death?
Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis during the UFC 297 event. Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images/AFPSource: AFP“Sean Strickland knows a lot of one-liners to sound tough.
“But I expose fake tough guys.
“And as for him now again saying ‘let’s make this pact?’
“What’s the purpose of a pact after we saw what happened the last time?
“Plus, I’m not here to make pacts.
“I’m here to win.”
Asked if he felt Strickland truly believed what he was saying prior to their first encounter, the champ continued: “I think he’s a man that’s willing to go out on his shield.
“I just don’t think he has the ability.
“When I look at the two of us, I have the ability to kill him … but I don’t think he has the ability to kill me.”
Elsewhere, Strickland also responded to Makhachev’s recent suggestions — after finishing Renato Moicano within a round at UFC 311 last weekend — that he would be willing to move up two divisions for a shot at DDP.
“Firstly, incredible performance by him,” the South African said of Makhachev.
“Moicana is a great fighter and for Islam to do what he did, incredible champion and a great fighter.
“And kudos for saying what he did afterwards.
“I didn’t make much of it though.
“And haven’t given it a lot of thought (since).
“I don’t have any other focus than Sean Strickland right now.
“But I guess, good on him for trying that.
“He won’t get that fight now — it wouldn’t make sense.
“But if there should ever be a time where there is nobody to challenge me, nobody for him to challenge … yeah, cool.”
So as for a prediction?
“Look, he trains with 185ers in his gym,” du Plessis continued.
“But there is only one world champion.
“So kudos to him for saying what he did, but it doesn’t really matter because I’ll overpower him in any situation.
“I know he walks around heavy.
“But I walk around heavy.
“He’s a big lightweight, I’m a big middleweight.
“There’s a big difference there.”
