The first fight between Dricus Du Plessis and Sean Strickland was a close battle that could have fallen either way, ending in a controversial decision for the South African despite UFC CEO Dana White feeling “Tarzan” won the fight. But the rematch between the two was not close at all.
Du Plessis took complete control in a lackluster, dominant decision win over Strickland to retain the UFC middleweight championship in the main event of UFC 312.
The opening round saw both men delivering single shots. Despite previous acknowledgement about the risks of close rounds, Strickland tried to use his jab for a lead, but the champ kept distance and strategically landed whenever he saw an opening.
The American landed some strong strikes early in the second round, but “Stillknocks” completely took over the output of that frame from there, seemingly putting the former champion in an early 2-0 hole.
The defending champion continued to take advantage of a lack of activity from the former one during round three. The big moment of the fight, however, happened in the middle of the fourth round when a right hand from Du Plessis connected harshly, breaking Strickland’s nose. Blood poured out as the challenger looked to up his power to get back into the fight.
In spite of nearly getting caught in a guillotine during an unadvised rush in, Du Plessis stayed the course and landed from distance, with his output far exceeding Strickland’s.
The South African nearly swept the scorecards, with two 50-45s and a 49-46 in his favor to keep the gold.
Dricus Du Plessis Retains In Dominant Outing Over Sean Strickland
Du Plessis won the middleweight title in the original fight with Strickland last year at UFC 297 and retained the gold with a submission of Israel Adesanya at UFC 305.
Strickland, meanwhile, defeated Paulo Costa at UFC 302. He had won the middleweight title in upset fashion when he defeated Adesanya at UFC 293 in September 2023.
