In the lead-up to their highly anticipated fight at UFC 297, reigning UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland issued a warning to his opponent, Dricus du Plessis, to refrain from any further trash talk related to childhood trauma. Strickland went as far as to threaten du Plessis, stating "I will f****** stab you" if he crossed the line.

However, du Plessis responded with a smile and laughter, showing that he is anything but concerned about a possible attack before their fight. During a media day for UFC 297, du Plessis expressed his disbelief at the intensity of Strickland's words. He suggested that Team Strickland should address their fighter's extreme statements.

Du Plessis recalled that Strickland initially mentioned killing him rather than stabbing him, sparking thoughts of being shot. He confidently asserted, "When I saw a knife, I'm like no, that's not going to work. You won't touch me with that knife. I'll knock you out way before you get to stab me."

Although du Plessis admitted some concern that Strickland might attempt to sabotage the fight to avoid facing him in the octagon, he emphasized that his focus is solely on becoming the middleweight champion of the world. The South African fighter acknowledged winning the verbal battle at the last press conference but stated that his priority now is winning the fight itself.

The tension between du Plessis and Strickland had previously escalated at a press conference for UFC 296 in Las Vegas, where Strickland attacked du Plessis in the crowd. Following this incident, Strickland reached out to du Plessis privately via Twitter to address the altercation and the trash talk.

Du Plessis confirmed the private exchange but stated that he had no intention of making it public until Strickland mentioned it himself. According to du Plessis, Strickland expressed regret for his comments about du Plessis' coach and himself, offering to apologize and remove posts if anything had been said that crossed the line.

In response, du Plessis assured Strickland that he would not bring up his childhood trauma again. However, it is apparent that du Plessis remains largely unaffected by Strickland's words, both privately and publicly. He confidently stated, "There's nothing he can say that can get under my skin. I'm the mentally strongest fighter in the world. You can literally say whatever you want, all is fair in love and war."

With du Plessis maintaining his focus on the upcoming fight, UFC 297 promises to be an intense showdown between two determined fighters vying for the middleweight championship title. Only time will tell how this rivalry unfolds inside the octagon on Saturday night.