Sean Strickland blamed for 'cheating' fans at UFC 312, fiancee showers love on Dricus du Plessis, Conor McGregor reacts to boxer's death: MMA News Roundup

UFC analyst accuses Sean Strickland of 'cheating' the audience after the fighter falls short of delivering on what he promised. Elsewhere, Conor McGregor reacted to the tragic death of a young Irish boxer.

Find today's top combat sports updates below with Sportskeeda MMA's News Roundup.

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Din Thomas feels "cheated" by Sean Strickland

Former UFC fighter and MMA analyst Din Thomas feels Sean Strickland has let the audience down with his performance in the rematch against Dricus du Plessis. 'Tarzan' set the expectations high with his signature trash-talk ahead of UFC 312 but failed to deliver on the promises.

He maintained a jab and teep-heavy approach despite being asked to correct his game plan by coach Eric Nicksick, and it eventually led to a unanimous decision loss. He also broke his nose along the way.

Thomas blasted Strickland for the same on the post-fight show on ESPN:

"We just have to admit it now – we have to admit it: Sean Strickland is not who he says he is. ... We want him to be something. He wants to be something. But he’s not that guy. ... He didn't go to the death. He didn't even go deep."

Thomas added that he felt bad for Nicksick and that his criticism of Strickland comes from a place of disappointment:

"I know I’m hard on Sean Strickland. I know it but it’s because I’m cheated. I feel cheated by [him]. I hear about these gym stories, these wars that you get into, I hear about how great you are and then you go in these fights, these high-level fights, and you give us that. You cheat us."

Listen to Din Thomas' comments below as well as Anthony Smith's (0:27):

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Vasti Spiller pens tribute for Dricus du Plessis after UFC 312

Dricus du Plessis' fiancee Vasti Spiller shared a heartwarming post after the fighter's successful title defense at UFC 312 against Sean Strickland.

Spiller, who's a photographer and entrepreneur by profession, shared two photos - one of herself taking a picture of du Plessis inside a cage and another of the two of them together where 'Stillknocks' is in his Venum gear. The post was accompanied by an endearing caption:

"For you, a thousand times over."

The caption is a quote from Khaled Hosseini's "The Kite Runner" and signifies unending love and devotion.

The couple got engaged in January on the UFC fighter's 31st birthday after he proposed to Spiller in front of the invited crowd.

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Conor McGregor reacts to 28-year-old Irish boxer's death

Twenty-eight-year-old Irish boxer John Cooney breathed his last on Saturday, Feb. 8, after battling a week for his life. The boxer suffered an intracranial hemorrhage in a fight against Welshman Nathan Howells last Saturday at the Ulster Hall in Belfast, Ireland.

Cooney, who had put his Celtic super-featherweight title on the line, lost the fight via stoppage in the ninth round and was taken to the hospital. He underwent surgery for the hemorrhage at Belfast's Royal Victoria Hospital but couldn't recover from it.

Conor McGregor shared a six-word tribute to Cooney on X:

"Rest in Peace Warrior John Cooney."

The boxer's death was confirmed by a statement posted on Dunlop (via The Guardian) on behalf of his parents and fiancee Emmaleen:

"He was a much-loved son, brother, and partner, and it will take us all a lifetime to forget how special he was. RIP John ‘the Kid’ Cooney."

Frank Bruno, Conrad Cummings, Anto Cacace, Irish Sports Minister Gordon Lyons and the British Boxing Board of Control were also among those who paid their tributes to Cooney.