Strickland downplayed it as an issue when asked at the pre-fight press conference, but it has since been revealed that he had a case of the virus several weeks prior to UFC 312. That was just one of the problems he had to navigate throughout training camp, because Strickland said he also experienced an arm injury that he described as a break.

Sean Strickland has responded to his loss to Dricus du Plessis at UFC 312 by posting a four-minute video on social media. Tarzan's defeat in his middleweight title rematch with the South African was notable not only for the reigning champion’s victory, but probably more so for the challenger's ailments, both before and during the bout.

In the video, Strickland admitted to dealing with a staph infection and another serious injury issue. The word ‘struggle’ was used to describe what he viewed as a disastrous camp for his rematch with Dricus Du Plessis. “That entire fight camp was just a struggle. It was a f—— struggle,” Strickland said.

Sean Strickland stepped into the octagon at UFC 312 with hopes of reclaiming the middleweight title but his performance left many questioning his approach. Even his own coach Eric Nicksick was not impressed with what he saw in the main event against Dricus Du Plessis.

UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad has criticized Sean Strickland's display at UFC 312, and said his time as a middleweight contender should now be over.