‘Prepared’ Dana White reacts to Sean Strickland slugging UFC 293 fan — ‘We have people around him now’

UFC middleweight title challenger Sean Strickland, who battles current champion Israel Adesanya for the middleweight strap in the UFC 293 pay-per-view (PPV) main event this weekend in Sydney, had some explaining to do after word got out that “Tarzan” slugged an overzealous Adesanya fan who was running his mouth before the fight.

Strickland recounts the altercation here.

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MASSIVE MIDDLEWEIGHT MATCH! Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) makes its highly anticipated return to Sydney, Australia, for the first time in five years on Sat., Sept. 9, 2023, with a 185-pound world title fight inside Qudos Bank Arena. In the ESPN+-streamed pay-per-view (PPV) main event, Middleweight roost-ruler, Israel Adesanya, plans to silence No. 5-seeded contender, Sean Strickland. In UFC 293’s hard-hitting Heavyweight co-main event, No-6-ranked fan favorite, Tai Tuivasa, locks horns with towering Russian, Alexander Volkov (No. 8).

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UFC President Dana White insists Strickland was playing it up for dramatic effect and that he was prepared for this sort of tomfoolery when he booked the fight. Just to be safe, the promotion now has “people around him” to prevent any future altercations.

I guess voluntary face punching doesn’t count.

“Do you know where the news came from that he punched a fan?” White said at the “Contender Series” press conference. “Yeah, (the news came from him). Yeah, he’s a beauty. He played it up more than whatever and was jokingly. … The fan and him are cool. Going into this, I knew. I knew what this week was going to be like. Yes, we’re prepared for it and yes we have people around him now, so he won’t be punching people in the stomach anymore – for fun or not for fun.”

Fun things always getting ruined in UFC.

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 293 fight card right here, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET, then the remaining undercard balance on ESPNN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, followed by the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 293: “Adesanya vs. Strickalnd” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here. For the updated and finalized UFC 293 fight card and ESPN+ lineup click here.