"I don't know what Du Plessis said" - Chael Sonnen defends "psychopath" Sean Strickland after UFC 296 brawl with Dricus Du Plessis

Chael Sonnen recently defended Sean Strickland's actions during the UFC 296 broadcast.

For the uninitiated, the Strickland vs. Dricus Du Plessis rivalry took a wrong turn after a verbal altercation between the two escalated into a cageside fight at UFC 296. The security team was forced to intervene.

Strickland has been criticized for attacking Du Plessis and his apparent lack of self-restraint. The UFC broadcast team shared a similar opinion about ‘Tarzan’ while discussing the incident.

However, ex-UFC fighter Chael Sonnen disagrees with the hypothesis. In a recent YouTube video, Sonnen argued that Du Plessis may have said something that triggered a violent reaction from ‘Tarzan’:

“I don’t know what Du Plessis said to Sean. But Strickland does not behave that way. That’s not true. The commentary team, when they had to address it, referred to Strickland as a psychopath. It would be very difficult for them to see what they saw and then me to come in and go, ‘No, no. He’s not that guy after he just did that. I’m going, No, no. He would never do that.’ He just did that Chael. ”

The 46-year-old reiterated that Strickland’s reaction to the situation was out of character and confidently stated that it was not his usual behavior.

Watch Sonnen share his thoughts on the incident (1:00):

Strickland’s controversial personality is often attributed to his traumatizing past and strenuous relationship with his late father. Du Plessis’ comments about his father during the UFC seasonal press conference angered the middleweight champion. It has been speculated that it may have caused Strickland to attack the South African at UFC 296.

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Chael Sonnen says Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis needed to get into a fistfight

Discussing the incident further, Sonnen said that fighters project a scary image of themselves on their rivals. He stated that it is the equivalent of wearing a mask to hide their vulnerabilities and argued that the UFC 296 brawl gave both men an opportunity to feel each other's strength:

"Feeling a guy in a scuffle like Sean and Du Plessis did, is a way to remove the mask. I just don't know, in this situation, who was wearing it." [5:29]

Strickland will attempt the first defense of his title against Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 297. The event will take place on January 20, 2024, at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Canada.

Although unfortunate, the UFC 296 brawl has seemingly only fueled fans’ interest in the fight.