The middleweight division has been on a roll recently as most of the top contenders of the ‘185-lb’ gold are active—the champion, Dricus Du Plessis is gearing up to defend his title against Israel Adesanya at the UFC 305. Their clash would set the stage for the middleweight division and well it appears as if Sean Strickland has been offered to be the backup for the fight but will the former champ agree to be the second-string?

The former champion has been calling out the promotion as well as Dana White for a rematch against ‘Stillknocks’ for a while now and according to ‘Tarzan’ he deserves the title fight more than anyone. Well, needless to say, Strickland has no choice but to wait for the promotion to give him a rematch. Let us have a look at what ‘Tarzan’ thinks of the replacement offer.

Sean Strickland is not up for being the replacement for Israel Adesanya vs. Dricus Du Plessis

In an interview with Shakiel Mahjouri, Sean Strickland gave his honest take on being offered the replacement fight for Israel Adesanya and Dricus Du Plessis’s showdown. The former middleweight champ was asked what would be his reaction if Dana White and Co. approached him for being the substitute again. Strickland was quick to counter the host and stated that he was next in the line for the middleweight title, “Yeah, I mean, dude, you know when it comes to these backfill things, they’re always, “I’m next in line.” They could have anybody who’s a backfill. I’m next in line; it’s my shot. I’ll let them fight, who could say the N-word, and after they’re done, then I can handle it.”

After his close decision loss against Dricus Du Plessis at the UFC 297, Strickland vowed to take his revenge and called out Dana White for giving him an immediate rematch, however, the UFC Supremo tested ‘Tarzan’s mettle against Paulo Costa at UFC 302. Strickland stunned the Brazilian to clinch the victory by way of a split decision.

After the dominant performance, Strickland again called out the stakeholders for a rematch but his call went unnoticed as the Israel Adesanya vs. Du Plessis card was in the making. Down in the conversation, the former middleweight champ has expressed his thoughts on Robert Whittaker inching closer to the title shot.

Strickland is not keen on witnessing Robert Whittaker get ahead of him in the title race

Robert Whittaker has been on an impressive two-fight winning streak against strong opponents. The former middleweight champion has not been in the title race since 2022, however, it appears that luck is with him again. The buzz is that negotiations are ongoing around that along with Sean Strickland, Robert Whittaker is also in the line for the title shot. Yet, this news is not music to the ears of ‘Tarzan.’

“If they give Robert the title shot, bro, it’s for one reason: they don’t want me holding this on a main stage. I’m next in line. There’s no argument in it, it is a fact. If they give Whitaker the title shot, it’s, well, welcome to, ‘Bud Light.” said Strickland, when asked about Whittaker.

With multiple contenders, the middleweight division appears to stay busy for some time. What’s your take on the entire scenario? State your thoughts in the comments below.