Luke Rockhold went off on Sean Strickland for not delivering at UFC 312.
Strickland (29-7 MMA, 16-7 UFC) lost a dominant decision to middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis (23-2 MMA, 9-0 UFC) in this past Saturday’s headliner at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney. Prior to the fight, Strickland challenged Du Plessis to a stand-up only fight and vowed to give the fans a war.
Rockhold believes Strickland failed to show a sense of urgency after being down from the get-go and questioned his championship grit after Du Plessis broke his nose.
“We all watched the fight. We all heard this guy talk, ‘To the death, Dutchman, to the death,'” Rockhold said on “The Ariel Helwani Show.” “This motherf*cker talks such a big game, and then he b*tches out and basically quits in the fight after he breaks his nose. What are you worried about? The world title is on the line. That’s all you want, that’s all you’ve dreamed of, and you’re more worried about fixing your f*cking nose than winning and biting down on your mouthpiece and doing what you’ve got to do? I mean, it shows your true character.
“That’s what the cage is all about. When has he ever put his ass on the line and bit down and really went for it – through a whole process of a fight, not just the last 10 seconds of a round? He’s not finishing any big fights, I’ll tell you that. Just look at him out there just talking. Just talking and doing sh*t that’s not even him. I’m just tired of fake people. You see everything he presents himself as, which he is not.”
Rockhold and Strickland were previously booked to fight at UFC 268, but their matchup was scrapped after Rockhold withdrew due to a back injury. Although Rockhold is no longer in the UFC, he continues to campaign for the fight while expressing his disdain toward Strickland.
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 312.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Luke Rockhold lambasts Sean Strickland for overhyping, underdelivering at UFC 312
