Sean Strickland releases statement following UFC 297 loss

Sean Strickland is now a former UFC middleweight champion.  “Tarzan” lost to Dricus Du Plessis via split decision in the UFC 297 main event but felt that he did enough to retain the title.

The two headlined Saturday’s UFC 297 pay-per-view event at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Canada.  Following the loss, Strickland released a statement via social media.  

“Well f**k haha… man that headbutt really made it difficult to see but I thought we got the job done. Blood and all!!! Onto the next one!!! Thanks everyone who supported me,” he wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.  

Well fuck haha… man that headbutt really made it difficult to see but I thought we got the job done. Blood and all!!! Onto the next one!!! Thanks everyone who supported me!!!!!!

— Sean Strickland (@SStricklandMMA) January 21, 2024

During his post-fight interview, Strickland called for a rematch with Du Plessis, but UFC President Dana White stated that a rematch will likely happen but not immediately.

“Eventually these two are going to end up fighting again I’m sure,” said White during the UFC 297 Post-Fight Press Conference.  “We’re not thing about an immediate rematch right now.”  

UFC 297 was the seventh time the fight promotion has hosted an event in Toronto.  The event set records with an $8 million (US) gate, the highest grossing event in Scotiabank Arena history and the highest grossing arena event in Canada. 18,559 spectators witnessed the fight card live.