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UFC Middleweight Champion Sean Strickland and future challenger Dricus Du Plessis got into a brawl in the crowd during UFC 296.
Former UFC Middleweight Champion Robert Whittaker believes the brawl between the champion and future challenger was staged.
“I thought it was staged, mate, honestly,” Whittaker said on his MMArcade Podcast (transcript via Drake Riggs of MMA Fighting). “Because it was weird. It was weird the way it happened. You saw the way Strickland was like, ‘Move aside, please.’ Makes sense, but then he jumps in like WWE style. The way he was punching, the way he was kind of like, I don’t know, fake punching to the back of Dricus. Maybe it was just for entertainment, and which case, you can’t really give him anything for it. I don’t know. It’s a bit silly. He’s the champ.”
Neither Strickland or Du Plessis have received any punishment from the UFC or the Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) for their roles in the brawl.
Whittaker also said that he heard Strickland’s comments about him during the seasonal press conference that was held last week.
“It was a weird little scuffle, I am gonna say,” Whittaker said. “I also heard him talking smack about me in the press conference. I don’t think it was smack talk, to be honest. He just off-commented how — downplayed my abilities. I don’t expect him to pump tires, to be honest, and yeah, I don’t think I’m as one-dimensional as he says. I think my blitz is a strong part of my game, but I got other tricks.
“It was nothing really. I’m not gonna say I like him but I don’t hate him because he’s kind of holistically against everybody, you know what I mean? He’s holistically rude. He’s not singling out certain people or genres or races or colors, he’s just kinda tellin’ off everyone (laughs). Being rude to everyone. I don’t hate that. But I don’t know, I think that fight looked a little staged. Staged on Strickland’s behalf, I don’t think Dricus got the memo (laughs).”
