Sean Strickland Not Interested in No. 1 Contender Fight Against Robert Whittaker

Sean Strickland believes he has earned his stripes for the next title fight at middleweight.

Dricus Du Plessis will put his middleweight title on the line against Israel Adesanya at UFC 305 on Aug. 17 in Perth, Australia. The winner of that match is expected to face either Strickland or Robert Whittaker , who are both coming off massive victories.

Strickland made his case for a title shot with a split decision win over Paulo Costa at UFC 302 on June 1. Meanwhile, Whittaker scored a first-round knockout win over unranked prospect Ikram Aliskerov , who replaced Khamzat Chimaev on short notice at UFC on ABC 6 last weekend. Many believe a fight between Strickland and Whittaker is the best way to decide the next rightful title contender.

However, Strickland believes he has already done enough to deserve the next middleweight title shot over Whittaker. Strickland argued that he already beat Adesanya and was robbed of a win against du Plessis. Meanwhile, both Adesanya and Du Plessis own emphatic victories over Whittaker. The former champ now wants to wait for opportunity to reclaim gold rather than fight Whittaker.

“I keep getting asked to fight Whittaker,” Strickland wrote on X. “I beat Izzy, the world knows I beat Dricus. Whittaker lost to both. I am the No. 1 contender, I defended that spot easily against Costa. I will wait.....”