UFC commentator Daniel Cormier doesn’t believe that the fans want to see a trilogy bout between Dricus du Plessis and Sean Strickland.
By defeating Kamaru Usman in the main event of UFC Oklahoma City in a dominant fashion, du Plessis showed that he is still one of the division’s elite fighters and a legitimate challenge for Strickland, who currently holds the UFC middleweight title.
Du Plessis, of course, holds two previous decision wins over Strickland, so he has already proven that he has what it takes to be the current champion, as he’s done it twice.
But since the fans have already seen that fight two times, Cormier thinks a trilogy would be a hard sell for the UFC.
Daniel Cormier Says Fans Don’t Want DDP vs. Strickland 3
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Cormier said that he doesn’t think that UFC fans would want to see DDP vs. Strickland 3, especially since Nassourine Imavov is still waiting in the wings for his long-awaited title shot.
“When it comes to Sean Strickland and DDP fighting for a third time, I honestly believe that while me as a purist, as a person that loves watching the two best in the division fight for the championship, the two guys that seem to be the people that should be fighting for the belt, the two guys that have a history, I believe that DDP being 2-0 over the champ might actually be a bad thing. Why? Because I believe that 2-0 with the last fight being so dominant, people almost don’t want to go and watch another fight,” Cormier said (via MMAjunkie.com).
“Because the reality is this: No matter what Strickland had done, if DDP was still the champion, I don’t think that people would have ever wanted to see him fight for the belt again. So do we want to see them fight for a third time? I do because I’m a purist. But what does the general fan think when they have seen this act twice, and it got worse the second time by DDP? I don’t know. Imavov has earned, though. He has earned that opportunity. Let’s see if he gets that opportunity to fight for that belt.”
What Will the UFC Do at Middleweight?
It will certainly be interesting to see what the UFC matchmakers do at middleweight, as there is certainly a backlog of title contenders for Strickland’s belt.
Adding to the problem is that Strickland is currently nursing an injured shoulder and says that he doesn’t want to return until December. Since he’s already fought twice this year, it’s fair that Strickland wants to take some time off to heal up before he steps back into the cage.
When he does return, there are several fighters who he could be staring across from inside the Octagon. It could be Imavov. It could be DDP. It could be Chimaev. It could also be Joe Pyfer. All of these fighters are legitimate options.
With so many opponents waiting, Strickland is a wanted man at 185.
UFC Fans Don’t Want DDP vs. Strickland 3, Says Daniel Cormier