American fighter Sean Strickland has responded strongly to accusations made by South Africa’s Dricus du Plessis, ahead of their highly anticipated rematch at UFC 312 in Sydney this weekend. Du Plessis recently took to Instagram, sharing a comparison photo of Strickland from their first encounter and this fight week, jokingly questioning if Strickland had brought a staph infection to Australia along with his “growth spurt.”
In a fiery response during Thursday’s UFC 312 pre-fight press conference, Strickland made it clear that he wasn’t dealing with any infection. “Listen, you motherfckers, I’m immune to staph,” Strickland declared. “You see this fcking moustache? I give staph, I don’t fcking get staph.” He went on to emphasize that he doesn’t get sick, injured, or infected, adding, “I’m going to come out fcking hard and strong… the hardest and strongest you’ve ever f*cking seen.”
Strickland’s brash response reflects his confidence heading into the middleweight title fight against du Plessis, a bout that will headline UFC 312 at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney. The two fighters previously faced off at UFC 297 in January 2024, where Du Plessis emerged victorious, earning a “Fight of the Night” performance with a hard-fought points win.
Both fighters are in peak form ahead of the rematch, with Du Plessis boasting an undefeated UFC record (8-0) and a 22-2 overall career record. Strickland, on the other hand, holds a 29-6 record and has been with the UFC since 2014. South African bookmakers Betway have made Du Plessis the 5/10 favorite for the fight, with Strickland listed at 8/5.
UFC 312 promises to be an exciting card, with the middleweight title clash set to begin after 05:00 (SA time) on Sunday, February 9, 2025, following the earlier bouts.
