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Dricus Du Plessis did the double over Sean Strickland by beating him on points again at UFC 312, retaining the middleweight title in the process.
Du Plessis took the belt from Strickland in January 2024, winning a controversial decision against the American, and the pair went the distance again on Saturday (8 February). This time, however, there was no disputing the winner.
Du Plessis, the first fighter from South Africa to wear UFC gold, outstruck Strickland to secure scorecards of 50-45, 50-45 and 49-46, seemingly breaking his rival’s nose along the way.
The 31-year-old was already on course for victory when he landed a clean right cross in round four, causing blood to stream from Strickland’s nose as the 33-year-old pawed at it repeatedly.
To his credit, Strickland not only made it to the final buzzer but continued to throw back, although his overall output paled in comparison to that of Du Plessis.
Strickland was nowhere near urgent enough throughout the fight, as Du Plessis built a comfortable lead and maintained it through 25 minutes.
It was a damp squib of an ending to the week for Strickland, who had been typically explosive ahead of the event in Sydney, Australia. Addressing media this week, the divisive American launched a series of insults at the host nation, calling its inhabitants “English white trash” and criticising its gun laws and “lack of freedom”.
Much of Strickland’s post-fight interview was censored, while Du Plessis said: “I’m trying to knock this man out, to knock him out is next to impossible. I’d love another round, but that’s not the game. I gave it my all, I’m sorry I couldn’t get him out of here.
“It was really hard, once I saw him grabbing at his nose, [to stay calm]. It took me about 30 seconds to a minute to get everything back to composure.”
The result marked Du Plessis’s second successful defence of the belt, after he submitted former champion Israel Adesanya in August. Adesanya, who was in attendance at UFC 312, is a former two-time champion, whose second reign was ended by Strickland in an all-time UFC upset.
In the co-main event of UFC 312, Zhang Weili put on a clinic to retain her strawweight title against Tatiana Suarez.
Despite Suarez’s lack of activity in recent years (the American has fought just three times since 2019), she was a betting favourite against Zhang in some quarters.
But Zhang’s greater versatility and experience won out on Saturday, as she outstruck and even outgrappled the wrestling specialist. The Chinese champion earned scorecards of 49-46, 49-46 and 49-45, extending her second reign with the belt.
