Dana White Doesn't Buy Sean Strickland's New Persona

Dana White, UFC CEO, had a busy weekend of fights spanning both coasts in the United States. On Saturday night, the No. 1 MMA promotion set foot in Newark, NJ for UFC 328. 

Less than 24 hours later, White's other promotion, Zuffa Boxing, returned to its usual Sunday evening timeslot on Paramount Plus for Zuffa Boxing 06. Sunday's headliner saw Shane Mosley (23-5, 18 KOs) stop Serhii Bohachuk (27-4, 24 KOs) inside the sixth round of a middleweight showdown at the Meta Apex in Enterprise, NV.

While Sunday night's Zuffa Boxing 06 post-fight press conference touched on what's coming up in the world of pugilism, the topic of discussion shifted to the middleweight division in MMA and what transpired the night before inside Prudential Center.

Sean Strickland Displays Change of Persona in Wake of UFC 328 Victory

Saturday evening's UFC 328 main event saw now-former champion Khamzat Chimaev (15-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) lose his belt to Sean Strickland (31-7 MMA, 18-7 UFC.) With the victory, Strickland, who entered the weekend at No. 3 in the rankings at 185 lbs, now holds the UFC Middleweight Championship for the second time in his stint with the promotion.

His post-fight interview was a departure from what MMA fans have come to expect from the new champion throughout his tenure in MMA, issuing an apology and exhibiting good sportsmanship on the telecast with Joe Rogan. 

"I went too hard," Strickland told the audience on Saturday. "I'll admit it, I respect all you guys. Chechens are great fighters. They're savages. He's a savage."

Dana White on Toughness of Both Fighters in UFC 328 Main Event

Late Sunday night, Dana White took to the podium for the Zuffa Boxing 06 press conference backstage at Meta Apex in Enterprise, NV. When the topic of the UFC 328 main event came up in the media junket, Dana White discussed what both the champion and the challenger had to endure during fight week in terms of verbal sparring.

"The unique type of badass, mentally, physically, and emotionally, that you have to be to compete in this sport, and when you look at all the things that were said by those two leading up to that fight, normal people like us can never even imagine what it must feel like when you have to walk out of that tunnel and go deliver in front of the entire world," Dana White said. "It's part of what makes combat sports so unique and badass and the athletes that compete here amazing."

Dana White Blunt on Sean Strickland's Change in Tone

During that same press conference, Dana White delivered a clear message to those wondering whether the kinder version of Sean Strickland is here to stay.

"Yeah, I highly doubt that we have a new and improved Sean Strickland," he continued. "I'll believe it when I see it but I'm not buying it."

In the aftermath of this weekend's action, Dana White explained why he believes that Sean Strickland's gentler persona is an isolated event.

"Without going through what they both went through leading up to this fight, I think that night, all the emotion comes out after the win," he said. "Yes, he broke his nose in the first round. We saw that much of Sean Strickland. I don't know how long that will last. If that's where he's headed now, nobody's happier than me, I'll promise you that, but I'm not buying it."