"He's a beauty"- Dana White addresses Sean Strickland assaulting a fan days before UFC 293 title fight against Israel Adesanya

Dana White recently weighed in on Sean Strickland punching a fan less than a day after arriving in Sydney for UFC 293. The UFC supremo claimed that the incident was played up more than what really happened, and the promotion had taken the necessary steps to ensure 'Tarzan' doesn't assault anyone again.

Strickland is set to challenge Israel Adesanya for the middleweight title at UFC 293 this weekend in Sydney. Just days before his scheduled championship opportunity, the No.5-ranked middleweight contender revealed that he had gut-punched a fan who tried trolling him on the street. The fan reportedly told Strickland that he would get knocked out by Adesanya, leading to 'Tarzan' reacting violently.

During a recent interaction with the press, Dana White shared his two cents on the incident. The UFC president revealed that Sean Strickland had told the story a bit differently than what actually went down and said:

"Do you know what the news came from, that he punched a fan? He's a beauty. He played it up more than whatever was jokingly [done]. The fan and him are cool. Going into this... I knew what this week was going to be like. We're prepared for it. Yes, we have people around him now, so he won't be punching people in the stomach anymore."

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UFC 293: Sean Strickland on punching a trash-talking fan in Sydney days before championship fight

Sean Strickland recently claimed he had assaulted someone for running their mouth just a day into his Sydney visit. The UFC star is currently in Australia for his title fight against Israel Adesanya at UFC 293 this weekend.

In a recent interview with Fox Sports Australia, 'Tarzan' spoke about his public altercation with a fan near Bondi Junction. He said a fan walked up to him and told him, "Izzy's gonna f**k you up." Strickland then slammed his fist into the fan's gut and walked away. He said:

"I’d only been in Australia a day, and already I’d committed an assault... Because anybody who wants a photo, man, I love the fans. But if you wanna come up to me and run your f***ing mouth, I’ll smack you like I smack anybody else."

In typical Sean Strickland fashion, he thanked the fan for not pressing charges. He said:

"But if I see the guy again, man, no problems … I’ll thank him for not pressing charges."