Sydney – UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis is ready to put his rivalry with Sean Strickland to bed at UFC 312 on Saturday night.
“I am very happy that they made this fight. I was asking for this fight up until the Khamzat (Chimaev) thing happened. Then I would have preferred that fight,” Du Plessis told reporters including Cageside Press on Tuesday.
“I’m really happy this fight’s happening. Now I can go and say we’re going to settle this. We’re going to put this to bed.”
Du Plessis (22-2) beat Strickland for the title at UFC 297. The split-decision victory was questioned by many, but the loudest came from Strickland’s fanbase.
“All the Strickland fans that believe he won that fight…I can just go out and put this behind me. For me right now I think Strickland is the best middleweight in the world,” he said.
“Behind myself, and he deserves to be here. I know he’s an incredible, incredible fighter. He’s so good defensively. He’s tough. He’s hard to hit and when you hit him it doesn’t have that effect as on normal guys.”
Don’t take the compliments the wrong way. It’s the champion giving his opponent respect, but at the same time it adds fuel to his fire going into his second title defense.
“This man is an apex predator. This is the toughest fight of my life coming up, and I’m ready for that. I am an apex predator, and he’s in my area right now,” said Du Plessis.
“We’re going to go to that dark place from the word get go, and we’ll see who comes out.”
Watch the entire media day scrum with Dricus du Plessis above. He headlines UFC 312 against Sean Strickland on Saturday night.