The announcement of UFC 312 sent shockwaves through the MMA realm, as Dana White pitted Dricus Du Plessis against Sean Strickland in a rematch. Even though ‘Tarzan’ repeatedly claimed that he wouldn’t fight the middleweight champ in Australia, it was indeed the fight to make. But there was a concern regarding the headliner bout.
Chael Sonnen, during a conversation with Daniel Cormier on 10th December, on Good Guy/Bad Guy, reflected on the fight between Strickland’s upcoming bout. He pointed out that ‘Tarzan’s fight with Paulo Costa was about 6 months ago. On top of that, Strickland seemed to believe that he earned the title shot by going through Costa. This was where Sonnen believed he was wrong. While he praised ‘Stillknocks’ claiming, “If there has ever been a guy that turns out to be one heck of a lot better than I knew he was, it’s Dricus Du Plessis!”
Then ‘The Bad Guy’ talked about Strickland’s performance at UFC 297. He said, “The other side of that coin, Sean Strickland has talked himself very much and has a high level of confidence because he believes he beat him the first time. He believes he dominated him. That’s not what I saw Daniel. As a matter of fact, I’m not sure Sean didn’t lose all 5 rounds on my scorecard. Very close, real tight, but at the end of it, if you got to go a 10-9, I’m not sure I didn’t give them all to Dricus.” Sonnen advised ‘Tarzan’ to study his opponent and come up with a different strategy. He simply couldn’t take Du Plessis lightly.
Nevertheless, ‘The American Gangster’ seemed to have faith in the former MW champ. He continued, “And I do believe, Sean Strickland, when he was the champion of the world, did not care, or at least that’s what he was saying. The moment he lost that belt, boy that care meter went through the roof. And I do believe Sean is going to fight better trying to regain something than to defend something. That’s my own belief. But that’s the fight to make.”
As the main event for UFC 312 came to light, Joe Rogan and Daniel Cormier weighed in on the fight between Du Plessis and Strickland. The color commentators excited the fanbase with their analysis of the middleweight fighters. Let’s see what Rogan and DC had to say.
What do Joe Rogan and Daniel Cormier think of the matchup between Dricus Du Plessis and Sean Strickland?
During the broadcast of UFC 310 on ESPN MMA, Rogan reflected on the matchup between ‘Tarzan’ and Dricus Du Plessis. He claimed that their previous fight amounted to a close affair. But the way the middleweight champion defeated fighters like Strickland, Israel Adesanya, and Robert Whittaker, impressed the 57-year-old color commentator. He concluded that “Dricus du Plessis is a monster.”
On the other hand, Cormier stood up in support of Sean Strickland. He claimed that just like Du Plessis, ‘Tarzan’ was a monster as well. He said, “Sean Strickland is a monster, too. They had a very close fight last time. These guys are going to battle for the middleweight championship. That’s a fun fight. It was very fun last time. I wonder who’s going to make that adjustment.”
But the outcome of the bout is something that remains to be seen. The South African star has already established himself as an all-round fighter with his performance against Adesanya and Robert Whittaker. But Strickland’s last bout against Paulo Costa only invited more criticism than plaudits. Nevertheless, all we need to do is wait and
