"He was vilified" - Jon Anik shares intriguing take on judging in Sean Strickland's last three split decisions including loss to Dricus du Plessis

UFC commentator Jon Anik recently posted some fascinating insight into Sean Strickland's last three split decision losses on X, denoting the presence of a particular MMA judge on every occasion.

At UFC 297, Strickland lost his middleweight title via a split decision to Dricus du Plessis, with judges Derek Cleary and Eric Colon scoring the contest 48-47 in favor of du Plessis, while Sal D'Amato saw the fight a 48-47 for 'Tarzan'.

In a social media post following the event, Anik posed an interesting question, seemingly speculating what might have led D'Amato to score in favor of Strickland at UFC 297, writing:

"In Sean Strickland's last three split decisions vs. [Jack] Hermansson, [Jared] Cannonier, & du Plessis, Sal D'Amato has been the dissenting judge in all three! His Hermansson card was forgettable. [The] other two are certainly defensible. But judges are human. He was vilified for that Hermansson card and has been on the Strickland side in two close fights since. Food for thought."

The official decision has received mixed reactions from the fan base, with many clamoring that the American was robbed.

At the recently concluded pay-per-view, du Plessis made history by becoming South Africa's first UFC champion, marking an end to Strickland's brief championship reign.

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Dana White believes Sean Strickland won at UFC 297

Sean Strickland's loss to Dricus du Plessis has elicited mixed reactions. UFC CEO Dana White, for one, had 'Tarzan' winning the fight. At the post-fight press conference at UFC 297, White shared how he scored the bout while acknowledging that it was close:

"I had it 2-2 going into the last round, and I thought Strickland won the last round. Guys who were sitting at the same table had it the other way."

White added:

"It was a close fight... I had it even going into the fifth round, and I'm like, this is the round. [Let's] see who wants it, and they both started to turn it up a little bit. It's just [that] it's one of those tight fights, but I'm also one of these guys, I believe you have to take it from the champion."

Catch Dana White's comments on Strickland vs. du Plessis below (0:11)