"I ain't f***ing Khabib" - Sean Strickland lays out gameplan of fighting Dricus du Plessis 'like a man'

Sean Strickland has addressed the game plan he intends to utilize for his highly-anticipated fight against Dricus du Plessis. Reigning UFC middleweight champion Strickland is scheduled to defend his title against du Plessis in the headlining matchup of UFC 297 on Jan. 20, 2024.

During the UFC 297 pre-fight press conference, a journalist alluded that Strickland has often claimed to have good wrestling skills. They indicated that 'Tarzan' had previously suggested that despite possessing genuine wrestling and grappling skills, he seldom gets the opportunities to showcase them.

When asked if he could display his wrestling prowess at UFC 297, Strickland responded by implying that, unlike former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, he (Strickland) is not a grappling-centric fighter.

During his time as a professional MMA fighter, the legendary Nurmagomedov was known to use his incredible wrestling and overall grappling arsenal to overwhelm his opponents. 'The Eagle' primarily preferred taking his MMA bouts to the grappling realm, and he refrained from engaging in risky striking exchanges against his foes.

Moreover, even in matchups where his opponents would manage to momentarily fend off his takedown attempts and steer clear of grappling clinches/exchanges, he'd continue pursuing takedowns and initiating grappling exchanges.

Certain sections of the MMA community often criticize Nurmagomedov's grappling-heavy approach to fighting, whilst they've lauded fighters like Strickland, who mostly adhere to striking-centric strategies. On that note, seemingly promising a stand-up battle at UFC 297, 'Tarzan' stated:

"Listen, man. Listen, guys. I wrestle every day, sadly. Well, let's treat this like f**king men; stand in the middle and put one of us to f**king sleep. We don't need to f**king wrestle. I ain't f**king Khabib. We're here to f**king fight."

Check out Sean Strickland's comments below (13:20):

---

Sean Strickland vs. Dricus du Plessis: Examining the UFC 297 headliners' recent runs

UFC middleweight kingpin Sean Strickland has won three of his past five MMA bouts. Strickland had suffered back-to-back defeats, a first-round KO loss against Alex Pereira, and a split decision defeat against Jared Cannonier. Following that, he bested Nassourdine Imavov by unanimous decision and Abus Magomedov via second-round TKO.

The American fighter then beat Israel Adesanya by unanimous decision to win the middleweight belt.

Meanwhile, Dricus du Plessis is on an eight-fight win streak. In his past five bouts, 'Stillknocks' beat Trevin Giles via second-round KO, Brad Tavares by unanimous decision, and Darren Till by third-round submission. 'DDP' then stopped Derek Brunson by second-round TKO. The South African athlete, most recently, beat Robert Whittaker via second-round TKO.