"Whittaker and that's it" - Fans react as Ariel Helwani and crew play matchmaker for Sean Strickland's next fight

MMA fans recently voiced their opinions after witnessing Ariel Helwani and his team electing rivals for Sean Strickland's next encounter. They presented the names of several noted UFC middleweights.

Strickland failed to reclaim the UFC middleweight gold in his last encounter at UFC 312. The controversial nature of his defeat against Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 297 had Dana White and Co. providing him with a rematch.

But the second installment of the Du Plessis-Strickland rivalry ended in an even more disappointing loss for the latter. This time, 'Tarzan' tasted defeat via unanimous decision, while his UFC 297 fight had ended in a split decision loss.

It won't be wrong to say that Strickland's loss will keep him out of the title race for quite some time now. Amidst all this, Helwani caught up with four other members of his team during the latest episode of The Ariel Helwani Show to discuss who might be Strickland's next rival. He also posted a little section of their discussion to his X account. Its caption read:

"Who's next for Strickland? Do we like these... Sean Strickland x Bo Nickal? Sean Strickland x Michel Pereira?"

The comments section of the post got flooded with the names of several noted UFC middleweights, including Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker. One of the fans penned:

"Whittaker and that's it"

Others opined:

"Strickland vs MVP is an option as well"

"Strickland vs Whittaker is the only fight to make. Come on guys. @arielhelwani"

"Tbh, a Sean vs Izzy [Israel Adesanya] rematch makes the most sense"

Check out some more reactions:

Fan reactions to Ariel Helwani's X Update [Screenshot Courtesy: @arielhelwani on X]

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Sean Strickland earned respect from his rival despite enduring a defeat at UFC 312

The buildup to the UFC 312 main event between Dricus Du Plessis and Sean Strickland has been a chaotic one with both fighters firing disses at each other. However, the two were witnessed appreciating each other following the encounter.

Du Plessis also showcased his respect for Strickland online after the wholesome in-octagon exchange. A recent Instagram post from the 33-year-old highlighted his broken-nose-adjusting moment from the fourth round of the fight.

Du Plessis took to the comments section to reveal his thoughts about Strickland's courageous act. He penned:

"Absolute warrior. Honor sharing the octagon with you once again"

Dricus Du Plessis's reaction to Sean Strickland's Instagram post. [Screenshot Courtesy: @stricklandmma on Instagram][