"Be careful what you wish for" - Dricus du Plessis issues grim warning to Sean Strickland after UFC 297 ceremonial weigh-ins

Dricus du Plessis sent a chilling message to Sean Strickland at the UFC 297 ceremonial weigh-ins.

'Stillknocks' is prepared to challenge the UFC middleweight champion in the main event of UFC 297, the first pay-per-view event of 2024 scheduled to take place this Saturday at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Canada.

At the ceremonial weigh-ins on Friday, emotions ran high as the headliners faced each other for the final time. Strickland abstained from stepping on the scale, while du Plessis had to be restrained before sharing their concluding thoughts on the upcoming bout.

Following their last staredown, the South African received boos from the audience and delivered a strong message to Strickland:

"I ain’t got no predictions. Like they say, be careful what you wish for. He asked for death. Your wish has been granted, my friend."

Check out Dricus du Plessis' comments below:

Strickland refrained from commenting on du Plessis. Instead, 'Tarzan' expressed astonishment that the promotion provided him with a microphone and extended gratitude to the Canadian fans:

"I’m just surprised that Canada let me f**king have a microphone. For you guys. To f**king war. For you guys. Let’s f**king go Canada."

Check out Sean Strickland's comments below (30:22):

Strickland is set to defend his title for the first time after pulling off a significant upset by outstriking Israel Adesanya and securing the 185-pound title at UFC 293 last September.

Meanwhile, 'Stillknocks' is entering the bout following a second-round stoppage victory against Robert Whittaker last July at UFC 290 and is on the verge of making history as the first South African to contend for a UFC title.

---

Sean Strickland rates Dricus du Plessis as a more challenging foe than Israel Adesanya

Sean Strickland believes his upcoming bout against Dricus du Plessis will be a greater challenge than his title-winning effort against Israel Adesanya.

At the UFC 297 media day on Wednesday, the UFC middleweight champion said:

"I think it's a harder fight than Izzy. The thing about Dricus is that, dude, he just likes to fight, you know? Is he the best? Probably not, but like, he just goes in there and he just fights to win, you know? That's a hard fight, man."

He also stated that 'Stillknocks' lacks the credentials to pose a threat to him:

"I mean, what is his accolades? He f**king beat a dead horse, Derek Brunson...Then you [Dricus du Plessis] go fight Whittaker, and Whittaker was a great fight, but like, was that the best Whittaker we've ever seen? Whittaker f**king quit. Maybe he's just f**king that good but I just think he fought two dead horses.''

Check out Sean Strickland's comments below (3:20):