Sean Strickland offered congratulations to Dricus du Plessis after dropping a close split decision in the UFC 297 main event.
Forty-eight hours later, he’s had a change of heart.
The now-former UFC middleweight champion showed off the aftermath from a gruesome cut he suffered during the fight, along with video showing where an accidental head butt opened a nasty gash over his eye. He wiped blood away from cut on his eyelid throughout the fight, but he said there was never a moment when he thought about asking for a way out.
Instead, Strickland doubled down on his belief that even with the cut, he should have still won the fight – and du Plessis shouldn’t be celebrating like he’s the undisputed UFC middleweight champion.
“I didn’t take the coward’s way out and tell the doctor I couldn’t see and got a no-contest,” Strickland wrote on Instagram. “The only reason why you took a round from me is because I couldn’t see. I won that fight, the world knows I won that fight. The belt they gave you will never make you a champion, enjoy.”
Strickland also revealed the severity of the cut that caused so much bleeding during the fight.
“They had to stitch through muscle to get it closed,” he wrote.
The post also showed the video where it appears du Plessis raises up during an exchange, and the back of his head clashes with Strickland. A split second later, Strickland is wiping blood off his eye from a cut.
Despite dealing with the cut, Strickland pressed forward and continued engaging with du Plessis until the 25-minute fight was over.
When it was over, two judges favored du Plessis with 48-47 scorecards with the third official handing the same 48-47 score to Strickland. It was still enough for du Plessis to get the win as he became the new middleweight champion.
Obviously that’s not sitting well with Strickland, especially after he realized just how much the cut over his eye affected him during the fight.
Controversial or not, UFC CEO Dana White already shot down any suggestion about an immediate rematch, which means Strickland will likely have to earn his way back to another fight with du Plessis sometime in the future.
