Dricus du Plessis issues savage response to Sean Strickland's stand-and-bang pact offer ahead of UFC 312 showdown: "I expose fake tough guys"

Dricus du Plessis has dismissed Sean Strickland’s request for a stand-and-trade pact ahead of their UFC 312 rematch on Feb. 9 in Sydney. The UFC middleweight champion has labeled it as a “ridiculous” demand.

The South African criticized Strickland, calling him a “fake tough guy” who failed to honor their prior agreement to fight “to the death” during their UFC 297 showdown. In that contest, du Plessis secured a split-decision victory, landing six takedowns and dominating the later rounds.

Eager for revenge, Strickland urged du Plessis to keep their rematch standing, accusing the champion of depending on wrestling and ground control. Du Plessis, however, dismissed the idea, stating that MMA requires versatility and strategy, not rigid agreements.

Speaking about Strickland's demands in a recent interview with Fox Sports Australia, du Plessis said:

“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.” [H/t: Fox Sports Australia]

Du Plessis added:

“He said ‘to the death’ and I was ready for that. You saw it, too. I went forward for 23 minutes of a 25-minute fight. But from him? It was jabs and teeps... 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.”

Check out Dricus du Plessis' comments below:

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Dricus du Plessis weighs in on Islam Makhachev claiming that he can be a three-division champion

Dricus du Plessis responded to Islam Makhachev's remarks after UFC 311, where the Dagestani suggested moving up two divisions to challenge him.

Du Plessis praised Makhachev’s performance against Renato Moicano, calling him an incredible fighter and champion. However, the South African dismissed the possibility of a fight now, stating his sole focus is on Sean Strickland at UFC 312.

Shedding light on a potential matchup and Makhachev's comments in the aforementioned interview with Fox Sports Australia, du Plessis said:

"Look, he trains with 185ers in his gym. 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."

Check out Dricus du Plessis' comments below: