Dricus du Plessis retains his UFC middleweight title with a dominant unanimous decision victory over Sean Strickland in their highly anticipated rematch at UFC 312 on Saturday night at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia.
What happened?
Du Plessis defeated Strickland via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 49-46) to retain his title. The 31-year-old South African took the title from Strickland with a narrow split-decision win at UFC 297 in January 2024.
Why it matters for Dricus du Plessis
Du Plessis' victory marked his second successful title defense since dethroning Strickland 13 months ago. He submitted former champ Israel Adesanya in his first defense at UFC 305 last August. Du Plessis remained undefeated in the Octagon, lifting his record to 9-0.
What comes next?
Du Plessis has now set his sights on the top spot in the middleweight division. "I am a top-three pound-for-pound fighter as of tonight, and I'm coming for that No. 1 spot," Du Plessis said in his post-fight interview. UFC CEO Dana White has hinted that Du Plessis' next fight could be against undefeated middleweight Khamzat Chimaev.
Du Plessis was far superior to Strickland in their rematch, staying busier and landing more effective strikes throughout the fight. He mixed up his arsenal well, landing several kicks to the head and body, and connected with a spinning elbow in the third round. Du Plessis topped Strickland 147-128 in significant strikes, according to UFC Stats.
The biggest moment of the fight for Du Plessis came in the fourth round when he damaged Strickland's nose with a punch. Du Plessis pressured Strickland and sought a finish, but Strickland fended off the attack. "The game plan here was stay calm," Du Plessis said of hurting Strickland. "(My coach) said, 'Dricus, we know you can knock somebody out. We know you have that dog. Try and stay calm.' It was really hard once I saw him grabbing at his nose."
Du Plessis continued to pick Strickland apart on the feet in the fifth round to seal the judges' decision. Strickland secured the rematch with Du Plessis by defeating Paulo Costa last June. The 33-year-old is now 1-2 in his last three outings.
Du Plessis has now defended the belt twice since dethroning Strickland 13 months ago. He submitted former champ Adesanya in his first defense at UFC 305 last August. Du Plessis also tied Chris Weidman for the third-longest winning streak in UFC middleweight history, trailing only Anderson Silva (13) and Israel Adesanya (12).
Du Plessis' next move will be closely watched by fans and pundits alike. Will he take on Khamzat Chimaev or target a different opponent? Only time will tell.