DDP On ‘Tarzan’ Tears: ‘I’m Glad He Cried’

Reigning UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland was a recent guest on This Past Weekend with Theo Von, discussing his childhood trauma and some of the unconscionable horrors he faced growing up with an abusive father.

UFC 297 opponent Dricus Du Plessis shared his reaction on YouTube.

“It is what it is. I’m glad he cried and he got it out, it’s the end of that,” Du Plessis said (transcribed by MMA News). “I think we give him a lot more credit than he deserves in terms of mindset. I don’t think he thinks about anything. I think he goes out there and he fights, he fights the way Sean Strickland fights. He always has and he’s an incredible fighter. I have a lot of respect for him as a fighter.”

Strickland also told Food Truck Diaries with Brendan Schaub that Americans need to “bring back alcoholism” so that soft, entitled children could “get hit by their dads a little bit more” and grow bigger testicles by way of “alcoholic rage beating.”

I’m not sure if “Tarzan” can figure out which side he’s on.

“Do I think he’s a hypocrite? 100 percent,” Du Plessis continued. “Obviously, you know, childhood trauma is something you can’t help but you know, if you know what it feels like to be the one on the receiving end of such trauma, don’t inflict it on others because that’s exactly what he does. So yes, I mean I feel bad for him. I don’t think any kid deserves that ever.”

Strickland will make his first middleweight title defense when he locks horns with Du Plessis atop the UFC 297 pay-per-view (PPV) card, recently made official for Sat., Jan. 20, 2024 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

“I think he’s used to being the bully and he’s not used to being bullied,” Du Plessis said. “I don’t have to hammer on that. I already won that fight. I won that press conference and I don’t want to keep hammering on the same thing. He cried on Theo Von’s podcast, I guess it was terrible and like I said, no kid deserves that.”

For the rest of the UFC 297 fight card and PPV lineup click here.