Dricus du Plessis and Israel Adesanya will be headlining UFC 305 in Perth, with du Plessis putting his middleweight title on the line. Robert Whittaker and Sean Strickland have already bagged statement victories to put them next in line for a title shot. Fight fans have pondered a co-main event spot for Whittaker vs. Strickland at UFC 305, potentially for the number one contender spot. However, Strickland seems hesitant about the idea.
Strickland Refuses Non-Title Fights
After defeating Ikram Aliskerov in the main event of UFC Saudi Arabia, Robert Whittaker expressed interest in being a backup for the UFC 305 main event. UFC CEO Dana White liked the idea at the post-fight press conference. However, fight fans believed Strickland vs. Whittaker was the right matchup, which the former didn’t entertain.
“I keep getting asked to fight whittaker. I beat Izzy, the world knows I beat dricus. Whittaker lost to both. I am the number 1 contender, I defended that spot easily against Costa.I will wait…..”Strickland tweeted on X. He recently defeated Paulo Costa in the co-main event of UFC 302 and firmly stated he won’t fight unless for the title.
After winning the title from Israel Adesanya at UFC 293 in a massive upset, Strickland lost a close split decision to du Plessis. The American clamored for a rematch, but the UFC was too keen on booking the South African against the Kiwi. Strickland had refused to fight Costa due to a low purse and only accepted the fight after the UFC sorted it.
“Tarzan” had already created a lot of controversy. Many felt the UFC benefited from not having Strickland as the champion. However, Strickland enjoyed fan support everywhere, from Australia to Canada. The UFC doesn’t usually reward fighters sitting out. Therefore, Whittaker will likely leapfrog Strickland for a title shot, particularly if he is backup for UFC 305.
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