There’s no ifs, ands, or buts about it… Sean Strickland believes the next UFC title fight runs through him and nobody else.
The former UFC Middleweight Champion’s been pushing this agenda ever since he lost the belt to Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 297, feeling as though he was robbed in the controversial split decision result in Canada. Strickland recently bounced back from the loss with a five-round victory over Paulo Costa at UFC 302 in June, to make his case known he was next in line for the title.
Strickland’s Two Cents On Du Plessis vs. Adesanya
Of course, Strickland will have to wait until UFC 305 wraps up as Du Plessis defends his middleweight strap against former champ Israel Adesanya, who Strickland wasn’t a fan of getting a title shot because he did defeat him over the distance in September at UFC 293.
“I’m next in line. It’s my shot,” Strickland told CBS’ Sports Shakiel Mahjouri. “I’ll let them fight [for] who could f****** say the n word. And after they’re done, I’ll f****** handle it.”
“It Ain’t Whittaker, It’s Me”
Strickland has yet to get any confirmation from the UFC that he is indeed next in line for the winner of Du Plessis vs. Adesanya, which leaves the door open for another potential candidate in Robert Whittaker. Despite losing to DDP and “The Last Stylebender” in the past, the former champion has put together two wins in a row, defeating Paulo Costa and Ikram Aliskerov in impressive fashion to hold down a top spot in the middleweight rankings at #3.
“It ain’t Whittaker, it’s me,” the #1-ranked Strickland said. “If they give Robert the title shot, bro… Guys, it’s for one reason: they don’t want me holding this [microphone] on a main stage. I’m next in line. There’s no argument in it. It is a f****** fact. If they give Whittaker the title shot, welcome to Bud Light.”
Bud Light made some headlines earlier this year when they collaborated with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney for an ad campaign. This, in turn, sparked a lot of controversy with conservative uproar, calling for a boycott of the beer that led to a drop in sales – all of which Sean Strickland has not forgotten, now that Bud Light is the official beer sponsor of the UFC.
