If this week’s press conference is anything to go by, Sunday’s main event between Sean Strickland and Dricus du Plessis is certainly going to deliver fireworks.
Strickland is well known for his outlandish commentary and certainly didn’t disappoint earlier in the week, taking things one step further as he threatened to “f***ing stab” his South African rival.
While it may seem like Strickland’s mind is anywhere but the octagon, the UFC’s middleweight champion does understand the challenge that du Plessis poses to his reign at the top of the division.
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Loose Strickland promises “to the death” | 01:13
In fact, speaking to TNT Sports earlier in the week, Strickland noted du Plessis’ awkward and unconventional fighting style as something he would have to quickly get a hold of when the pair face off on Sunday afternoon.
“A lot of it is just can you figure him out because people go in there and they have a hard time figuring him out,” Strickland said.
“So just how fast can I adapt to his weirdness? If I go in there and I f*****g see it all and I got it figured out it’s going be a good fight. If I go in there and I can’t, it’s going to be a war.”
Strickland may have 11 wins by knockout and four by submission to his name but he is also capable of going the distance, as he proved on his way to a shock win over former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya.
Although Strickland also said that if he is not able to get a read on du Plessis it may see Sunday’s fight quickly become a case of “hands up, haymaker for haymaker”.
“That’s how you change a fight that you can’t figure out,” Strickland added.
Du Plessis, who is looking to make history by becoming the first ever South African born UFC champion, said there is “no way” that the fight will go the distance.
“If this is a Sean Strickland fight of punching really, really, really soft and jab, jab, jab, if that’s the case – which it won’t be (because) I won’t allow it – then I’ll be there in the fifth round making sure I win this fight by decision,” Du Plessis told MMA Junkie.
“That’s what it takes to become the world champion. But in my honest opinion, this fight is not going the distance. There’s no way. He’s a guy who walks forward. I’m a guy who likes to go forward. I’ve said this and this is one thing. This is the fight game.
“Anything can always happen, but I can promise you this. I’ve never been involved in a boring fight in my life and I promise you I won’t because a boring fight is a choice.
“I know it’s not going to be boring. This is going to be one of those fights. If he can stay standing, if he can take what I give, this is a Fight of the Year contender, 100 percent.”
The other title fight on the card sees top ranked contenders Raquel Pennington and Mayra Bueno Silva battle it out for the women’s bantamweight crown, which was vacated after Amanda Nunes retired from the sport.
Pennington is riding a five-fight win streak but needs to do everything she can to avoid Bueno Silva getting the bout to the ground, having won eight fights by submission.
WHAT TIME DOES UFC 297 START?
The early prelims get underway Sunday, January 21 at 10:30am AEDT with the main card kicking off at 2pm.
The Strickland and du Plessis fight is expected to start around 3:30-4pm.
TALE OF THE TAPE:
Sean Strickland
Record: 28-5
Height: 185cm
Weight: 84kg
Reach: 76 inches
Average Fight Time: 14:43
Dricus du Plessis
Record: 20-2
Height: 185cm
Weight: 84kg
Reach: 76 inches
Average Fight Time: 9:11
FULL UFC 297 CARD (ALL TIMES AEDT)
Main card (from 2pm)
Sean Strickland (28-5) v Dricus du Plessis (20-2) – middleweight
Raquel Pennington (15-9) v Mayra Bueno Silva (10-2-1) – women’s bantamweight
Neil Magny (28-12) v Mike Malott (10-1-1) – welterweight
Prelims (from 12pm)
Brad Katona (15-2) v Garrett Armfield (9-3) – bantamweight
Charles Jourdain (15-6-1) v Sean Woodson (10-1-1) – featherweight
Serhiy Sidey (10-1) v Ramon Taveras (9-2) – bantamweight
Gillian Robertson (12-8) vs. Polyana Viana (13-6) – women’s strawweight
Early prelims (from 10:30am)
Yohan Lainesse (9-2) v Sam Patterson (10-2-1) – welterweight
Jasmine Jasudavicius (9-3) v Priscila Cachoeira – women flyweight
Malcolm Gordon (14-7) v Jimmy Flick (16-7) – flyweight
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