UFC 296 wasn’t just about Leon Edwards destroying Colby Covington on Saturday.
Sean Strickland fought Dricus du Plessis in a brutal brawl to set up UFC 297, which will take place in January.
Cameras at the T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas showed a wild scene in which Du Plessis sat a few rows behind Strickland. Du Plessis booed Strickland before he got up and pointed an imaginary pistol in his direction.
Strickland then turned around to Du Plessis and the two began arguing. Strickland told the kids in front of him to move.
Strickland, with the cameras still on him, approached Du Plessis and began to punch, landing his hand repeatedly on Du Plessis’ head.
The full incident between Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis at #UFC296 tonight.
Bring on #UFC297 in January! pic.twitter.com/HQt0Uj1jiv
— UFC (@ufc) December 17, 2023
UFC CEO Dana White was in the middle when the fight ended. ESPN broadcaster Jon Anik said that Strickland had been removed from T-Mobile Arena after the pay-per-view.
UFC has used many promotional tactics to promote future events, including Saturday night. The Strickland vs. Du Plessis UFC 297 fight in Toronto looks like it’s going to be a real bloodbath.
Afterward, the feud spread to social media.
“I go hard on everyone I know this, izzy mouth feeding his dog, Dricus kissing his coach and grabbing his cup,” Strickland wrote on X, calling out fellow UFC fighter Israel Adesanya in the process. “[Sean] Omalley talking about sharing his wife in a podcast. You’re a man, on a world stage doing this in public.”
Du Plessis responded with his own.
Du Plessis wrote: “Now I get why you’ve got a 33% completion rate. You hit like a woman. Also, on January 20th, security will not be there to save your life, when I am on top. #rentfree.”
UFC 297 will be a spectacle. Strickland is 28-5 with a 15-5 UFC record. Du Plessis is 20-2 and has an undefeated 6-0 UFC score.
