Analyst rips Sean Strickland as ‘not who he says he is’

Din Thomas has seen enough out of Sean Strickland after UFC 312 to vocalize frustrations about his fighting style.

Prior to his unanimous decision loss to Dricus Du Plessis (23-2 MMA, 9-0 UFC) in Saturday’s middleweight title rematch, Strickland (29-7 MMA, 16-7 UFC) assured critics of his jab and teep-heavy approach to fights that things would be different, and he would lay it all on the line.

That didn’t prove to be the case. Strickland had yet another performance that didn’t align with his pre-fight promises and left many observers underwhelmed. Even before his nose was shattered by Du Plessis in the third round, there was much to be desired from Strickland.

Thomas, who is an ESPN analyst and MMA coach, couldn’t bite his tongue in the aftermath of the event when breaking down Strickland.

“We just have to admit it now – we have to admit it: Sean Strickland is not who he says he is,” Thomas said of Strickland on the UFC 312 post-fight show. “He’s not who he says he is. We want him to be something. He wants to be something. But he’s not that guy.

“He’s not the guy who’s going to go to the death. (He says), ‘To the death.’ He didn’t go to the death. He didn’t even go deep. I’m not saying he’s not a great fighter. I’m not saying he doesn’t deserve to be where he’s at. But he’s not who he says he is. We’ve got to admit that.”

The irritation with Strickland’s strategy against Du Plessis was largely universal. His head coach, Eric Nicksick of Xtreme Couture, repeatedly urged Strickland to alter his approach, but it never happened.

Strickland is now 0-2 in head-to-head competition with Du Plessis, with little public desire to see him fight for gold again unless the circumstances dramatically change.

“As a coach, I feel for Eric Nicksick because I know what it’s like and I don’t even want to go and be in that situation again,” Thomas said. “I know I’m hard on Sean Strickland. I know it but it’s because I’m cheated. I feel cheated by (Strickland).

“I hear about these gym stories, these wars that you get into, I hear about how great you are and then you go in these fights, these high-level fights and you give us that. You cheat us.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 312.