Daniel Cormier credits UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland for his ability to fight with composure. Strickland (28-5 MMA, 15-5 UFC) makes his first title defense against Dricus Du Plessis (20-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC 297 headliner at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. Strickland pulls no punches when he has the mic. But when Du Plessis brought up Strickland’s traumatic childhood during the UFC 2024 season press conference, Strickland  jumped him while both men sat cageside for UFC 296 at T-Mobile Arena. Du Plessis called Strickland a hypocrite for breaking down in tears  when reliving his childhood in a  recent interview with Theo Von . Despite Strickland appearing emotionally charged ahead of Saturday, going as far as threatening to stab Du Plessis if he brought up his past again, Cormier expects the champ to be level-headed when he fights the South African