VIDEO: Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis brawl in audience at UFC 296
UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland and his future opponent Dricus Du Plessis got into a brawl at UFC 296 on Saturday night.
The two men, who will meet in the UFC 297 main event in January, were seated near one another at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. When the camera panned to show who was in the audience, Strickland turned towards Du Plessis and used his hands to mimic and gun, pointed, and shot towards the upcoming title contender.
The camera then panned away, and commentators later stated that there was a fight taking place between the two men. Moments later footage of the situation was played on pay-per-view.
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
Another clip:
The best angle of DDP vs Strickland just dropped #UFC296 @SpinninBackfist pic.twitter.com/2vL9EieMA7
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) December 17, 2023
Strickland asked people to move before leaping over the seats and attacking Du Plessis. The champion was then removed from the area.
Du Plessis then wrote on social media, “Now I understand why you have a 33% finish rate, you hit like a girl, also 20 January the security won’t be there to save your life when I’m on top. 🤣🤣🤣 #rentfree.”
Now I understand why you have a 33% finish rate, you hit like a girl, also 20 January the security won’t be there to save your life when I’m on top. 🤣🤣🤣 #rentfree
— Dricus Du Plessis (@dricusduplessis) December 17, 2023
At the UFC 296 post-fight press conference UFC CEO Dana White later blamed himself for seating the two fighters near one another.
“So what kind of an assh*** sits Strickland next to du Plessis? This assh***, that’s who,” White said at the UFC 296 post-fight press conference when addressing what happened. “I do every seating assignment every week. Yep, how f****** stupid is that? Seriously. I don’t know what humans you can sit Strickland next to, but definitely not du Plessis. I don’t how I missed that.
“This is the business we’re in. I say it all the time, jumped in there, told Strickland to relax, go in the back. He decided to leave so he left the arena, du Plessis was good. We were literally just talking to him right outside the door there. Gentlemen, we are in the fight business. These are the things that happen.”
White said that while law enforcement officials did gather at the scene, no charges were filed.
“I’m sure the police have got better s*** to do,” White said. “Two guys who are going to fight here in a month, getting into a skirmish here at a fight.”
