Many fighters have openly acknowledged Conor McGregor as a source of inspiration. His ability to headline major events, generate massive pay-per-view sales, and cross over into boxing (against Floyd Mayweather) has made him a model for fighters looking to transcend the sport. UFC middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis recently spoke about McGregor’s immense influence on his career.
Dricus Du Plessis recently sat down for a conversation on SHAK MMA YouTube channel. During their discussion, the UFC middleweight champion talked about Conor McGregor and why he is against the amount of criticism directed towards the UFC superstar.
People always give him so much sh*t for the way he’s living his life. Leave the guy alone he can do whatever wants. The amount of work that guy has put in the get where he is, people are just jealous.
Dricus Du Plessis on SHAK MMA
Du Plessis talked about how the Irishman made the sport bigger than ever. McGregor is the first guy in the UFC to become a two-division champion simultaneously. The South African said that it became a massive inspiration in terms of what is possible.
👀🤝Dricus Du Plessis praises Conor McGregor and admits Conor was a massive inspiration for him:
“People always give him so much shit for the way he’s living his life, leave the guy alone he can do whatever wants. The amount of work that guy has put in the get where he is,… pic.twitter.com/EM61cR3Z0A
— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) August 9, 2024
Even with the controversies and legal troubles that have clouded his later career, McGregor remains a pivotal figure in the UFC. ‘The Notorious’ would have made his highly anticipated comeback in the octagon earlier this year had it not been for an unexpected injury. Now it is unclear when the Irishman will come back for his expected showdown with Michael Chandler.
Sean Strickland speaks on being a backup fighter for Israel Adesanya vs. Dricus Du Plessis
Dricus Du Plessis and Israel Adesanya are set to headline UFC 305 this August. The fight will take place at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. This is going to be the South African’s first title defense and Adesanya’s comeback fight since hiatus.
Sean Strickland wants a direct title shot after UFC 305 ( Image via Imago)Sean Strickland had recently sat down for a conversation with Shak MMA. There he talked about potentially filling in as a backup fighter for the Du Plessis vs. Adesanya fight at UFC 305. Strickland said he would rather let the two fight and then take on a direct title shot.
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 can say the N word. After they’re done then I’ll come and f****** handle it.
Sean Strickland on SHAK MMA
However, Du Plessis has made it clear that Strickland will have to wait for quite some time before getting another shot at the title. The middleweight champion is more focused on facing the winner of the upcoming fight between Robert Whittaker and Khamzat Chimaev. As a result, Strickland might find himself on the sidelines for a while unless he accepts an alternative fight in the meantime, which could keep him active and in contention.
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