Middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis put on an amazing defence at UFC 312, where he defended his title against Sean Strickland.
The rematch occurred at Qudos Bank Arena, Australia and was a night to remember for many as fighters put on a stellar performance. One such bout was the middleweight division battle between du Plessis and Strickland. Both athletes came into the cage with much energy, trading jabs and kicks. Both fighters took cautious steps, feeling each other out before DDP went in for a surprising spinning kick. Strickland followed with a straight jab, and du Plessis countered with a hard right, a high kick and body shots before round one came to an end.
Both opponents came in trading kicks and body shots in round two, but du Plessis managed to score a savage body kick. Strickland countered with a right, and DDP went in for a one-two combo, which Strickland blocked and responded with a pair of jabs. Du Plessis continued to deliver kick after kick, but Strickland stayed in the fight with jabs and shots till round two of UFC 312 came to a close.
The third round continued pretty much the same, with du Plessis landing more shots and Strickland trying to stay afloat, but all that changed in the fourth round when du Plessis landed a devastating right hand that destroyed Strickland’s nose and led to him bleeding profusely. DDP followed up with jabs, trying to finish the fight. He continued with a right that rocked Strickland and a one-two combo before the fight came to an end.
Strickland came in hot for the final round with good jabs and shots. Du Plessis retaliated with a right, a body kick and a low kick that connected. He continued to land shot after shot, which left Strickland grimacing, but the contender kept his defence up and did not back down. DDP continued to drive Strickland back and unlocked a head kick that tagged Strickland before the fight came to an end, leaving du Plessis winner via split decision.
The win was no surprise to the champ, who had promised to destroy the contender.
“I’m probably going to get tased for that one by my coach,” du Plessis said. “Once I saw him grabbing him at his nose, it’s like getting somebody rocked. I got a bit overexcited and immediately went, ‘the man is running, and he’s running hard.’ Don’t outpunch yourself. Came back, and stayed calm.
“Took me about 30 seconds or a minute to get everything back to composure. I don’t want to make a habit of these decisions. But against a competitor like that, it means the absolute world.”
The win moves du Plessis to 23-2, and the champ is ready to face any opponent. He was seen pointing out to Pereira after his win.
“Is there no one else? Is there no one else?” du Plessis shouted in Pereira’s direction. “I am a top three pound-for-pound fighter as of tonight. I’m coming for that No. 1 spot.”
Although the match didn’t go so well for Strickland, the fighter appeared in good spirits. He released a statement on Instagram following his loss.
“What’s up, guys? We’ve been here once or twice,” Strickland said. “I’m so grateful for you guys’ support. You guys are so awesome, win or lose, you guys always ride, and I appreciate you, Dricus, f*cking hats off, hell of a fight, broke my nose in six places. The silver lining is that my nose is so broken that it’s really easy to reset, so that was a new experience.
“I’ll be quick. I get so many messages from fans, friends, family, like, ‘Hold your head up, it’s OK.’ I’m good. Losing sucks, but we all lose in life, and I talk to so many people, whether they lose their job, their girlfriend breaks up with them, and they just find themselves in this hole, but me, I love the misery. I love the suffering because when you’re miserable, when you’re in pain, when you’re suffering, the moment that’s gone—and it will end, it will be a new day, a better day—life’s good.
“So I’m grateful, and being grateful kind of keeps my head up. For you guys going through it, look at me, I just broke my nose in front of millions of people. It f*cking sucks, I lost a fight, and I’ve still got to wake up tomorrow and hold my head up and be, like, ‘Hey man, it’s a new day. Got to sack up and be a man.
“So for you guys going through it, look at me, and I hope that, f*cking, your day gets better.”
Strickland fought du Plessis for the first time at UFC 297 in January 2024 and won a narrow split decision to take the middleweight title from Strickland, a result that Strickland has protested since. Du Plessis successfully defended the title against Israel Adesanya, while Strickland earned his rematch with a win over Paulo Costa. The American was finally given an opportunity to reclaim his title at UFC 312, but he lost to the South African.
