UFC 297: Trash talk between Sean Strickland and Dricus du Plessis takes a dark twist

Some fighters have turned trash talk into an art form. But, BRENDAN BRADFORD asks if it two fighters took things too far in the build up to UFC 297?

Pre-fight trash talk is part and parcel of boxing and UFC.

Do it well, and it generates hype and sells tickets and pay per views for the event. Conor McGregor and Chael Sonnen are two of the best in MMA. Floyd Mayweather and Muhammad Ali were standard-bearers in boxing.

Get it wrong though, and the results can range from cringe-worthy to simply gross.

Starting this weekend, Main Event on Kayo Sports and Foxtel will be the exclusive home of UFC Pay-Per-View events in Australia.

Sean Strickland is no stranger to veering into the latter. The American went viral in June last year for a misogynistic press conference in Las Vegas, and pushed the boundaries again in the lead-up to his shock title fight win over Israel Adesanya in Sydney in September.

This week though, his UFC 297 opponent, Dricus du Plessis, has questioned Strickland’s headspace and called for someone in his team to “step in” after Strickland threatened to stab him.

UFC 297: Dricus Du Plessis beats Sean Strickland to win middleweight title

Strickland (L) and du Plessis (R) are separated by UFC president Dana White. Picture: Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Speaking on his podcast, Strickland made the shock promise to take drastic action if du Plessis mentions his abusive father during the build-up in Toronto this week.

An argument has since erupted about whether either, or both, of this weekend’s headliners have overstepped the boundaries of what’s permissible when it comes to trash talking.

Du Plessis isn’t naive to how trash talk works, but doesn’t think Strickland’s threats are baseless either.

“I don’t think it’s an empty threat, to be honest,” du Plessis told this masthead. “Sean Strickland’s the type of guy that will do it.

“But, you’ve gotta ask yourself where you’re at mentally. That’s some serious stuff to be dealing with – it’s life threatening.

“I don’t care, but I don’t even know, from a legal standpoint, whether you’re even allowed to do that.

“If you have real friends, and real people around you, they have to check that out. It’s time to step in, guys.”

Strickland celebrates his shock win over Israel Adesanya in September. Picture: Mark Evans/Getty Images

Du Plessis didn’t expect Strickland to react so angrily to his comments, and says his fury could be telling come fight night.

“I can’t just let him get his way – I’m not going to be bullied,” he said of their fiery press conference in December. “It was nothing personal, just business, but it worked out for me because he got super angry.

“I didn’t think it would happen that easily. I thought it was an act, but I looked down and he was shaking, and I just thought, ‘wow, that was easy’, and I didn’t have to go any further. That battle was won.

“He’s always calm and composed when he fights, but we’ve never seen him like that outside of the cage before. We’ve never seen him triggered or angry.

“I don’t think he knows what it’s like to be bullied back, he’s used to being the bully, and it was a shock for him.”

The press conference that started all the drama in December. Picture: Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

Du Plessis doesn’t regret his comments about Strickland’s dad, and says if he had his time over, he’d say exactly the same thing again.

He doesn’t have anything planned ahead of this week’s media events, but is prepared to hit back if things get out of hand.

Either way, ‘Still Knocks’ says it’ll be fireworks when the cage door finally closes.

“This fight doesn’t see the fourth and fifth round. There’s no way,” he said. “At 12 minutes, I think this fight will be done. That’s my prediction. I got it with Rob, I said eight minutes and got it done.

“I think it’s going to be one of the best fights you’ll ever see in the UFC. I honestly do.

“I have the highest significant strikes per minute in the history of the middleweight division. Sean’s at number three. That makes for one thing: two guys that like to throw.

“Those stats alone guarantee a great fight.”

Originally published as UFC 297: Trash talk between Sean Strickland and Dricus du Plessis takes a dark twist