Sean Strickland will not be getting the next crack at the UFC middleweight title, but the former champion seems intent to wait for the opportunity.
Shortly after the promotion announced that reigning middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis will defend his belt against Israel Adesanya at UFC 305 on August 17 in Perth, Australia, Strickland took to social media to react.
"I'll wait..." he wrote in the caption for his post.
Strickland won the middleweight title with a decision defeat of Adesanya in one of the biggest upsets of 2023. His first title defense occurred this past January, when he was matched up with South Africa's Du Plessis. The fight went all five rounds, and was competitive for the duration, but Strickland ultimately surrendered the belt with a split-decision loss.
After losing to Du Plessis, Strickland was adamant that he would not fight again unless it was for the belt, but after a brief contract dispute with the UFC, ultimately accepted a fight with Paulo Costa, which co-headlined the UFC 302 card in New Jersey earlier this month. Strickland won his fight with Costa by unanimous decision, and when it was over, once again called for a title shot. Unfortunately for him, it's now clear that the UFC had other plans.
The good news for Strickland is that he remains well positioned for a fight with the Du Plessis vs. Adesanya winner. Not only is he riding a win over Costa, but he also has history with both men, and remains one of the most talked about fighters on the UFC roster.
Prior to his fights with Du Plessis and Adesanya, Strickland picked up back-to-back wins over Abus Magomedov and Nassourdine Imavov. Those wins were preceded by losses to Jared Cannonier and Alex Pereira.
Neither Du Plessis nor Adesanya has competed since fighting Strickland.
