Dana White Said Sean Strickland Deserved Another Title Shot
Before the Perth title bout, promotion president Dana White said Sean Strickland deserved the next middleweight title shot and indicated he would face the winner of Dricus du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya. Du Plessis retained his title by submitting Adesanya in the fourth round on August 17, 2024. White’s comments became reality: Strickland challenged Du Plessis in a February 2025 rematch, but lost a unanimous decision.
What White said before the Perth bout
Strickland had lost the championship to Du Plessis by split decision at the January 2024 title fight, then returned with a split-decision win over Paulo Costa at the June 2024 event. Before the Perth main event, White called Strickland the No. 1-ranked middleweight and said he deserved another opportunity. The remarks were made while Du Plessis and Adesanya were still scheduled to fight, so the title outcome remained a condition of the plan.
The title picture played out
Du Plessis stopped Adesanya with a rear-naked choke at 3:38 of round four in Perth. The champion then met Strickland in a rematch on February 8, 2025. Du Plessis won all three judges’ scorecards to retain the belt. That result fulfilled the matchup White had described, although it did not produce the title change Strickland wanted.
White’s support reflected Strickland’s ranking and recent title history, while the two fights determined the actual outcome. The sequence also illustrates why pre-fight comments should be reported as plans or expectations rather than as a confirmed booking until the promotion announces the bout.
Read more about Strickland’s title picture and MMA.
Sources
Sherdog: White’s pre-fight comments · Official event results: Adesanya vs. du Plessis · Official event page: Du Plessis vs. Strickland 2
Sources
Tags: MMA
