Sean Strickland has the option despite losing to Doricus du Plessis earlier this year, but now he wants current welterweight champion Beral Muhammad to follow past challenges.
Muhammad has fired shots at Strickland for the past year, calling the former middleweight champion “co-sick” following Strickland’s defeat to UFC 312’s duplesis. When asked what he wanted next, Strickland recalled Muhammad’s garbage story. In particular, Muhammad is no longer the champion after losing to Jack Della Maddarena in UFC 315.
“Berals will be a fun battle, that will be a fun battle,” Strickland told Helen Yi. “Beral, you need to plunder the dog, dog. This is it. You can finally plunder the f*ck.
“Well, you’re going to go to middleweight. I’m (230 pounds), I’m not going to welterweight. I’m not cutting it anymore. That’s good. … He said he’d do that. Palestine.”
Strickland lost two of the three to Du Plessis after the incredible Israeli Adesanya, who won his first UFC Championship at UFC 293 in September 2023.
Unfortunately for Strickland, De Lidar was booked against Robert Whitaker at the main event at UFC Abu Dhabi in July. Strickland also said he was offered a fight with the top-ranked middleweight but ultimately declined, as his opponent had.
“I wanted to fight that RDR Kid, but Mick (Maynard) wanted me to fight Kaio (Boraljo),” Strickland said. “That’s such a great guy. I said no. Well, we both said no. That’s one of the weird things I know him. I know his wife, I know his family.
“At the press conference, ‘Hey Kaio, how’s your baby? What, is he doing twice?’ I know him and his family, so it’s just annoying.
“But that rdr… that’s great. You’re a jiu-jitsu (man). You beat Bo Nikkal.