UFC fighter Sean Strickland threatened to stab opponent Dricus du Plessis after du Plessis mentioned Strickland’s traumatic childhood, despite Strickland’s history of offensive remarks and trash talk; fellow fighter Matt Brown criticized Strickland’s approach, suggesting that such low blows are unnecessary and unprofessional.
Sean Strickland is known for his no-holds-barred trash talk. However, when Dricus du Plessis brought up Strickland’s troubled past, the UFC 297 middleweight contender threatened to stab him.
A brawl at UFC 296 had stirred up some beef between the two fighters. But, it seems they’ve since buried the hatchet. Du Plessis even vowed not to use Strickland’s past against him anymore.
Strickland, the reigning UFC middleweight champion, has been criticized for accusing du Plessis of crossing a line. This is a bit rich, considering Strickland’s own history of offensive remarks. He’s targeted Ian Machado Garry and his wife, and made several sexist and homophobic comments about other UFC fighters.
UFC welterweight Matt Brown believes Strickland has only himself to blame. He said on The Fighter vs. The Writer, “Strickland, he does cut deep sometimes. He pushes the limit, and to not expect that back is a little bit naïve.”
Brown’s not a fan of trash talk that’s just for the sake of getting under someone’s skin. He understands why fighters do it, but it’s not his thing. He believes that if it’s not entertaining, it’s not worth saying.
Trash talk can get out of hand, especially when the fighters have a history together. For example, Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington‘s war of words escalated after their friendship turned sour.
But Strickland and du Plessis? They’ve never been friends, they don’t share a past, and yet they’ve exchanged deeply personal insults. Brown finds this baffling. He said, “Like, why do you hate the guy so much that you would cut that low?”
Brown thinks trash talk in combat sports changed after Conor McGregor entered the UFC. McGregor’s trash talk was like a weapon, and it often worked. The best example? His constant jabs at Jose Aldo, which led to Aldo charging at McGregor and getting knocked out in 13 seconds.
Many fighters have tried to emulate McGregor, but even he’s struggled to get under his opponents’ skin without going low. “Even Conor lost the creativity,” Brown said.
As for UFC 297, du Plessis has promised not to use Strickland’s past against him. He’s not bothered by trash talk, personal or otherwise.
Brown feels the same. He doesn’t see the need to tear down opponents, but he also doesn’t care if they try to do that to him. He said, “I already want to kill him. It doesn’t really matter what you say. I’m going to go in there and do the best that I can to take your head off, period.”
Brown wishes fighters would be more tasteful with their trash talk. He said, “We’re supposed to be the highest level professional athletes, and if you believe you are that good of an athlete and you’re good enough to win, you don’t need to cut that low.”
You can catch new episodes of The Fighter vs. The Writer every Tuesday. Audio-only versions are available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and iHeartRadio.