'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Sean Strickland appears to be Dricus du Plessis' next opponent after much speculation about the South African's second title defense. Strickland's coach, Eric Nicksick, has now revealed the message 'Stillknocks' sent him ahead of their probable rematch.
'Tarzan' faced du Plessis at UFC 297 for the middleweight title, with the 30-year-old securing a split-decision win to become the first South African UFC champion ever.
After successfully defending his title against Israel Adesanya at UFC 305, du Plessis' coach strickland-continues-fall-middleweight-pecking-order-dricus-du-plessis-coach-reveals-south-african-s-likely-next-opponents" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">stated that their next opponent would likely be Robert Whittaker if he defeats Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 308.
However, UFC CEO Dana White dismissed Whittaker's position as the next title challenger during a recent media event, identifying Strickland as the most likely candidate for the next title shot.
Nicksick was recently interviewed by MMAFightingonSBN, where he discussed 'Tarzan' facing du Plessis in a rematch, saying:
"It's hard to emulate what Dricus does because he's very unorthodox but knows what he's doing in his own style. There are so many things that we didn't do right [at UFC 297]... I'm looking forward to this matchup again, Dricus wrote [to] me a couple of days ago, he's like, 'Yo, I'm excited to go against you again bro.' I have all the love and respect for Dricus and his team, but this is our job."
Watch Eric Nicksick discuss Dricus du Plessis vs. Sean Strickland 2 below (20:10):
Dana White shares issues with booking Dricus du Plessis in South Africa, confirms Sean Strickland is next
Dricus du Plessis is eager to fight in front of a packed home crowd in South Africa. While UFC CEO Dana White has also expressed interest in taking the octagon to 'The Rainbow Nation', he recently shared some difficulties with committing to a venue.
Following a recent edition of 'Dana White's Contender Series', he said:
"The arena situation there is tough, it's tough to pull off. So, that's been the challenge with Africa as a whole. We're trying to figure it out. The place that we would have to do it at is outdoors, and you know how I feel about that... One of the big things I'm hearing out there is that wind is a big problem."
When asked if Sean Strickland would still receive the next title shot, White replied:
"Yes."
Check out Dana White discuss Dricus du Plessis vs. Sean Strickland below (1:45):
