Sean Strickland challenges Dricus du Plessis to sign "pact" ahead of UFC 312 title showdown to "settle this sh*t like men" 

Sean Strickland has proposed a deal with Dricus du Plessis. Strickland expressed his desire for a stand-up fight in their upcoming rematch and has asked the champion to avoid using any wrestling and grappling when they lock horns at UFC 312.

They will run it back on Feb. 8 at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia. Known for his awkward striking style, Strickland just wants to trade hands with du Plessis when they square off. The former champion said:

''Listen Dutchman, I'm going to need you to be a fu**ing man and I'm gonna need you to stand up, not go to your knees, and we're gonna need to fu**ing strike like men. I know you like to wrestle, and you like to fu**ing choke people out and do some gay sh*t, dude but I'll make a pact with you. You make a pact with me that we fu**ing stand up like fu**ing men and we settle this sh*t like men.''

Check out Sean Strickland's comments below:

Their first encounter at UFC 297 last year ended on a controversial note as du Plessis captured the middleweight title from Strickland, winning via split decision, with many, including UFC CEO Dana White, disagreeing with the judges' decision.

Later on in 2024, Strickland returned to winning ways with a decision victory over Paulo Costa, while du Plessis defended the title by submitting Israel Adesanya in their grudge match.

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Eric Nicksick discusses Sean Strickland's game-plan against Dricus du Plessis in upcoming rematch

Sean Strickland's coach, Eric Nicksick, recently opened up about their game-plan for the upcoming title fight against Dricus du Plessis in the main event of UFC 312 next month.

According to Nicksick, Strickland must change his approach to regain his title and influencing the judges will be a key factor. In an interview with Inside Fighting, the MMA coach said:

''You know, dude, Sean, you gotta be a dog, man. You really have to take the fight to this guy. Just kind of sitting back and jabbing your way through the fight, a lot of judges lose sight of that jab, although it's effective and it's scoring. We need to find some other things that are going to help that scoring criteria look better on our part and that's part of our gameplan."

Check out Eric Nicksick's comments below (7:01):