Sean Strickland assures fans he isn’t battling staph infection going into UFC 312.

Strickland (29-6 MMA, 16-6 UFC) challenges middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis (22-2 MMA, 8-0 UFC) in a title-fight rematch, which headlines Saturday’s event at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN2, ESPN+).

During Strickland’s pre-fight photoshoot with the UFC, many noticed what appeared to be a potential staph infection on his upper left arm. Du Plessis played into it by posting something about it on his Instagram story (h/t Championship Rounds).

Dricus du Plessis via. Instagram:

“What? [Strickland] grew taller and added staph infection to his arsenal… O sh*t!” 😭#UFC312 #UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/iF1ZR3j926

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) February 5, 2025

Strickland addressed those rumors and denied that he’s battling staph.

“Listen motherf*ckers, I’m immune to staph,” Strickland said during Thursday’s UFC 312 pre-fight press conference. “You see this f*cking mustache, I give staph, I don’t f*cking get staph. Calm the f*ck down.

“I don’t get sick, I don’t get f*cking injured, I don’t get f*cking staph. So, relax. I’m going to be out there on Sunday, and I’m going to come out f*cking hard and strong. The hardest and strongest you’ve ever f*cking seen. To the f*cking death, Dutch man.”

Strickland will look to avenge his title loss to Du Plessis at UFC 297. Strickland lost their first bout last January by split decision.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 312.

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