“Izzy isn’t coming back to MW” – Fans react as rumors of Sean Strickland vs. Kamaru Usman at UFC 302 divides MMA internet

At UFC 302, fans shared their opinions on the speculations of a potential fight between Sean Strickland and Kamaru Usman.

UFC 302 has been scheduled for June 1 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. This marks the return of the promotion to the Prudential Center after UFC 288, which took place in May of last year and featured a fight between Aljamain Sterling and Henry Cejudo. The upcoming event will be the 10th UFC event to be held at this prestigious arena, with the first event dating back to 2007.

Recently, MMA reporter Jeremy Donald went on X to announce the news:

Despite their doubts, fans wasted no time in heading to the comments section to express their reactions.

”Anything to keep Strickland away from that rematch. It’s gross.”

”Izzy isn’t coming back to MW’.’

”Guess they figure it’s a relative easy way to push Usman into the title discussion at 185.”

Take a look at some additional responses down below:

Strickland, who was once the middleweight champion, initially faced off against Usman during the preliminary card of UFC 210. Despite Strickland’s skills, Usman’s dominant wrestling abilities and strong punching ability proved to be too much, resulting in Strickland’s defeat by unanimous decision.

Despite being the reigning middleweight champion, Strickland was unable to defend his title against Dricus du Plessis at UFC 297 on Jan. 20. The match was fiercely fought for five rounds, resulting in a split decision in favor of Du Plessis, who claimed the UFC middleweight championship.

Despite his unsuccessful attempt to reclaim the welterweight title from Leon Edwards, Usman made a bold move by moving up to the middleweight division and taking on Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294. Despite stepping in on short notice, the former champion put up a strong fight against Chimaev and the bout was highly competitive. However, Usman ultimately fell short and lost by majority decision.

Sean Strickland calls for a rematch with Dricus du Plessis

Despite being declared the loser by a split decision on the official scorecards, Sean Strickland firmly believes that he deserved the win against Dricus du Plessis at UFC 297 and is determined to have a rematch. Even UFC CEO Dana White and others shared Strickland’s belief that ‘Tarzan’ should have been declared the victor after the bout. However, the judges ultimately gave the win to the South African.

During a recent interview with The Schmo, Strickland expressed his frustration with the judges’ harsh treatment towards him. He also called out ‘Stillknocks’ for a rematch while speaking to The Schmo.

“We all know I won. I went to Canada, you guys. I went to Canada and fought in front of the commies, and they shafted me. Dricus wants it, I want it. Win the title like a man, my friend… Let’s run this s**t back. Settle it like men. That’s all I’m trying to say.”

Watch Sean Strickland’s remarks at the 0:42 mark below:

The video can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPiA7UEDj0A.