Sean Strickland dismisses Dricus du Plessis trilogy for now: "I don’t think sitting out on the sidelines gets you a title shot"

Sean Strickland doesn’t believe the first title defense in his second reign as the UFC Middleweight Champion will be against Dricus du Plessis.

Sean Strickland dismisses Dricus du Plessis trilogy for now: "I don’t think sitting out on the sidelines gets you a title shot". Sean Strickland and du Plessis have shared the Octagon twice. “Stillknocks” defeated Strickland via split decision back in Jan. 2024 to capture the 185-pound gold. Their title rematch was far more one-sided with du Plessis earning a unanimous decision victory. While du Plessis ultimately lost the championship in a wipeout against Khamzat Chimaev, Strickland battled his way back into title contention and challenged “Borz” in the UFC 328 headliner. Strickland pulled off a massive upset over Chimaev via split decision to become a two-time UFC middleweight titleholder. Du Plessis hasn’t fought since his wide decision loss to Chimaev back in Aug. 2025. Strickland told Casino.com that the inactivity shouldn’t be rewar...