Jon Anik names "dream fights" up next for Sean Strickland and Dricus du Plessis if they manage to win at UFC 297

UFC 297 is set to be headlined by a middleweight title clash between Sean Strickland and Dricus du Plessis.

Chael Sonnen has suggested a theory that the quick turnaround following Strickland's upset win over Israel Adesanya is because the promotion is hoping to book the winner of UFC 297 against Adesanya as the UFC 300 headliner.

While Sonnen's theory is still just that, lead play-by-play commentator Jon Anik has shared his hopes for a potential middleweight main event in April during a recent interview with MMA Junkie.

Anik named separate opponents for both Sean Strickland and Dricus du Plessis, depending on who claimed victory in Canada this weekend, and said this:

"Could we see Alex Pereira and Magomedo Ankalaev at UFC 300? Not out of the realm of possibility. If Dricus du Plessis wins here, I think the foundation has been layed for him and [Israel Adesanya] depending on the health of the new champion. Certainly Sean Strickland vs. Khamzat Chimaev would be near the top of my list of dream fights for this year."

Catch Jon Anik's comments below (3:50):

With UFC 300 set to be one of the promotion's biggest-ever events, there is much anticipation surrounding who will headline the card.

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Sean Strickland breaks down his UFC 297 main event clash with Dricus du Plessis

Sean Strickland and Dricus du Plessis are set to face off for the middleweight title in Canada this weekend. Their clash will headline UFC 297, the promotion's first pay-per-view card of the year, and the betting odds currently have both fighters marked at -110.

Strickland will hope to defend the title he won against Israel Adesanya in stunning fashion at UFC 293, while du Plessis will be hoping to become the first South African champion in promotional history.

During media day ahead of the pay-per-view, Strickland shared his thoughts on 'Stillknocks' as an opponent. The middleweight champion stated that he expects a tougher fight against du Plessis than his fight against Adesanya.

He said this:

"I think it's gonna be a harder fight that against [Israel Adesanya]. The thing about Dricus is he likes to fight. Is he the best? Probably not, but he goes in there and fights to win. That's a hard fight... But I'm better than him. I'm a better grappler, I'm better at jiu-jitsu... What are his accolades?"

Listen to Strickland's UFC 297 main event preview below (3:20):