Sean Strickland gives statement after title loss to Dricus du Plessis - "That headbutt really made it difficult"

Sean Strickland has given a statement following his loss to Dricus du Plessis.

Strickland took on du Plessis last night at UFC 297 to mark his first title defense. Going into the fight, a lot was said about how 'Tarzan' would have the upper hand if the fight went on to later rounds, however, that didn't seem to be the case.

Du Plessis put on a great performance and despite losing the first round quite clearly, he managed to make amends and cause a lot of damage to Strickland as the fight progressed. Overall, the fight turned out to be very close and the South African walked away with a split decision victory to his name.

Following the bout, Strickland took to X and claimed that a headbutt during the fight made it hard for him to see. He said:

"Well fu*k haha... man that headbutt really made it difficult to see but I thought we got the job done. Blood and all!!! Onto the next one!!! Thanks to everyone who supported me!!!!!!"

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Dana White believes Sean Strickland won the fight against Dricus du Plessis

After Dricus du Plessis' split decision victory over Sean Strickland, a lot has been said bout the result of the fight. While some believe du Plessis did enough to win the fight, others including the UFC CEO Dana White believe that Strickland won the fight.

While speaking about it during the press conference, White stated that he had the fight 2-2 going into the final round. He said:

“I had it 2-2 going into the last round and I thought Strickland won the last round. Um, guys who were sitting at the same table had it the other way. You know, it was a close fight. I thought Strickland looked great in the first two rounds. I mean, the jab was f*****g beautiful. You don’t see jabs like that in MMA. And the jabs did what they were supposed to do. Both of his [du Plessis] eyes were swollen shut."

Catch Dana White's comments about Sean Strickland vs. Dricus du Plessis below: