UFC 296 may have ended with cold fire in the main event, but the year-end fight night brings so much to expect in the next year’s UFC fixtures. Especially the first main event of the UFC in January may fire up the fans for what they have been waiting for a long time.
UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland and his next opponent Dricus Du Plessis were present in the arena, with many former and current UFC fighters witnessing the action taking place in the octagon at UFC 296.
Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis melee at UFC 296
Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis are both rivals of former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya. Strickland, who urged that the former champion is mentally challenged, was sitting two rows in front of his next opponent. Firstly, they both were caught sitting with no eye contact. But in between the UFC 296 matchups, something got both of them triggered.
So far, no news has popped up about what exactly happened that triggered both fighters, but Strickland was seen making way first, then jumping on his UFC 297 opponent. Sean was seen throwing punches and elbows at his opponent, which didn’t actually connect, but in between all this, security came in to separate them.
Later, it was Strickland who was actually getting the protection of the cops and was asked to leave the UFC 296 Arena. The championship fight, which fans are expecting to see on January 20, 2024, gave them a glimpse of the intensity they can expect at that coming main event.
Sean Strickland defends against Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 297
Dricus Du Plessis was supposed to be the opponent of Israel Adesanya earlier, but he wasn’t prepared at that time when the UFC asked Israel Adesanya to defend the title at UFC 293, but Strickland was well prepared to put his hands on the title. The title fight actually gave a nightmare experience to “The Last Stylebender.”
After that, Israel announced the big break from fighting in the octagon, but Strickland got himself ready for the first title defense just four events later.
At the UFC 296 press conference, both fighters didn’t look to be in a friendly mode, instead giving death-stares to each other. The rule that the enemy’s enemy is a friend doesn’t work here, and both fighters told fans not to expect any mercy when they were locked in cages with just one official to save them from each other.
