Demetrious Johnson: Sean Strickland should swallow pride and ego, change style after UFC 312 loss
Demetrious Johnson thinks something needs to change in Sean Strickland's fighting style after UFC 312.
Strickland (29-7 MMA, 16-7 UFC) lost to middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis (23-2 MMA, 9-0 UFC) for a second time, this time in much more definitive fashion when he dropped a unanimous decision in Saturday's main event at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney.
After losing their first fight by split decision at UFC 297, many expected a much more aggressive Strickland. However, Strickland wound up getting outworked by Du Plessis, and Johnson encourages the former champion to modify his fighting style, or the sport will pass him by.
"I know you guys always say I'm a Sean Strickland hater, but I am not," Johnson said on his YouTube channel. "I basically call it how I see it. Sean Strickland has a style where he would not deviate from it. Whether he's losing a five-round decision, or if he's winning a five-round decision, he will not deviate from that 'Philly Shell' style, with that beautiful jab he has, along with a 1-1-2 and a 1-1-wide 4. He will not deviate from that – the teeps and the push kicks.
"He's been doing that style from the very beginning, in the past four years of his career, and he will do it for the next for years of his career. In order to get better in this sport, you have to take the time, swallow your pride, swallow your ego, and put yourself in a position where you're going to force yourself to evolve and get better and learn new tools. That's the only way you're going to become a better fighter in this game. Otherwise, people who are younger, who will take the time to evolve and get better, are always going to beat you."
Johnson also thinks Strickland needs to stop prioritizing defense over offense. He likes Du Plessis' suggestion of Strickland rematching Israel Adesanya next.
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This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Demetrious Johnson: Sean Strickland should swallow pride and ego, change style after UFC 312 loss
