There’s been quite a bit of tension between Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis. The recent UFC Press Conference turned pretty intense, with both fighters engaging in some heated exchanges. Things escalated even further as a brawl unfolded inside the UFC 296 arena, raising the stakes in their rivalry. The aftermath involved the officials of UFC pressing in to dissolve the tensions.

Dana White and even Jon Anik had to come to diffuse the tension and separate the pair. During the post-fight presser, White, in his statement, stated that he was not impressed. Further, the UFC CEO stated his displeasure with the seating arrangements that led to this situation.

Dana White takes the blame for the security breach

Middleweight champ Sean Strickland and Dricus ͏Du Plessis were sitting close by, having a casual banter. At a certain moment, Strickland gesture͏d to Gilbert Burns’ son, who was sitting next to him, suggesting ͏a change in position. As soon as the person changed the position, Strickland jumped towards Du Plessis, engaging in a heated fight.

The situation got out of hand and the officials from the UFC as well as the cops had to intervene to defuse the situation. In the end, Strickland was escorted out of the arena and Du Plessis was allowed to stay provided that there would be no further altercations. Fans were waiting for the official wording from Dana White about the incident and looks like we have one now.

“So what kind of an a**hole sits [Sean] Strickland next to [Dricus] Du Plessis? This a**hole [Pointing towards him]. I do every seating assignment every week. Do you know how f***ing stupid that is? I mean, seriously. Well, I don’t know what human you can sit Strickland next to, but definitely not Du Plessis. You know, I don’t even know how I missed that.” said White.

The 54-year-old seemingly took part of the blame on himself for overlooking the seating arrangements and putting the rivals so close to each other. The incident added an unexpected ͏twist to an already thrilling event. So what were the reactions?

Prominent personalities react to the brawl

Mark Wahlberg, the Hollywood star, happened to be in the restroom at the time of the altercation, as reported by sources. However, as soon as he returned, the popular actor had an interesting claim to make. “I would’ve stopped it if I was there”, he said. Mark Wahlberg likely quipped this with a playful wink and a dash of sarcasm thrown in for good measure.

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Ariel Helwani just tweeted about an incident between Strickland and DDP on TV. According to him, moments after they were shown on screen, things got heated, almost reaching the point of a physical altercation. Responding to this, UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski sarcastically remarked, “They definitely came to blows”.

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