UFC loses big main card fight, Dricus du Plessis explains Donald Trump t-shirt, Sean Strickland's Israel stance earns backlash: MMA News Roundup

An upcoming UFC event lost a major fight on the main card due to injury. Elsewhere, Sean Strickland's comment about Israel did not sit well with Palestinian-American UFC fighter Belal Muhammad.

Here are your top combat sports updates from today, presented by Sportskeeda MMA.

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Dominick Cruz is out of the UFC Seattle co-main event

Dominick Cruz is reportedly out of his octagon return set for Feb. 22 against Rob Font.

Cageside Press was the first to report that the former bantamweight champion has withdrawn from his scheduled fight at UFC Seattle due to an injury. Further details regarding the nature of the health condition have not been disclosed at the time of writing this article.

This bout would have marked the 39-year-old’s first fight since August 2022, when he suffered a fourth-round knockout loss to Marlon Vera. With the bout canceled, fans now want him to either retire or fight Jose Aldo for one last octagon outing.

The UFC is currently searching for a replacement opponent to keep Font on the card. The event, set to go down at Climate Pledge Arena, will be headlined by a bantamweight clash between Henry Cejudo and Song Yadong.

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Dricus du Plessis explains Donald Trump t-shirt worn at UFC 312 media day

Dricus du Plessis made headlines by wearing a black t-shirt that read "TRUMP PREFERS CHAMPIONS" at UFC 312 media day. When asked to explain his choice of attire, the middleweight champion explained that the shirt was a nod to U.S. President Donald Trump’s re-election.

Du Plessis, known for his outspoken personality, stated that he respects Trump’s affinity for champions and saw it as a way to make a bold statement. He also tipped his hat to Elon Musk, who was born in Pretoria, South Africa, and spent a significant part of his young life there before migrating to Canada and then to the United States.

'Stillknocks' said:

"I think he's an amazing, amazing president, and I've had the privilege of meeting him... He's holding people accountable - a lot of people, a lot of countries... Obviously, being a champion, he said he wants champions in his team and he said it on X. Big shoutout to fellow South African Elon Musk for also doing the right thing. Like I said, Trump prefers champions."

Watch Dricus du Plessis' comments below (0:03):

Du Plessis is putting his 185-pound belt on the line in a main event title rematch on the pay-per-view card. The event will take place on Feb. 8 at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia.

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Sean Strickland's pro-Israel stance irks Belal Muhammad

Sean Strickland donned his usual cut-throat persona at the UFC 312 media day, voicing his opinions in a rather brazen manner. In light of Bryce Mitchell's latest comments about Adolf H*tler and subsequent apology, Strickland shared some controversial opinions.

Strickland said that Mitchell has been influenced by the social media "propaganda" that shows Israel bombing civilians of Palestine but does not focus on Hamas' activities which allegedly triggered the war. He later went on to say he was a pro-Jew individual.

"You know, actually my first girlfriend ever was a good Jew, Jewish... I'm actually really pro-Jew. It's like people don't understand this, I would [say] go full send Israel, go have at it. I just don't want to pay for it."

Belal Muhammad, who is of Palestinian descent, hit back at Strickland:

"Definition of human trash deserves everything his dad did to him and more."