At UFC 312 in Sydney, Australia, Dricus Du Plessis successfully defended his middleweight championship title against Sean Strickland for the second time. The event took place at the Quodos Bank Arena, where Du Plessis put on a dominating performance, earning a convincing decision victory from the judges. This rematch followed their first encounter at UFC 297, where Du Plessis had narrowly edged out Strickland by a split decision to claim the 185-pound title. At that time, Strickland believed he had done enough to retain his belt and was determined to avenge that loss in their subsequent bout.
As the rematch unfolded, it was Du Plessis who set the pace from the start, consistently landing more powerful strikes and visibly inflicting damage on Strickland throughout the five rounds. The first round was somewhat restrained as both fighters assessed each other, but Du Plessis managed to score with his range-finding shots, putting him ahead on the scorecards as Strickland appeared tentative. Strickland’s coach, Eric Nicksick, urged him to be more aggressive in the corner between rounds, which prompted Strickland to increase his activity level in Round 2. However, Du Plessis matched that intensity, continuing to outwork Strickland.
By Round 3, it was clear that Strickland was struggling to turn the fight in his favor. Nicksick’s frustration with Strickland was palpable as he reminded his fighter that he had only 10 minutes left to make a significant change in the fight. Round 4 proved to be pivotal for Du Plessis, as he landed a significant punch that resulted in a broken nose for Strickland. Despite the injury, Strickland showed remarkable resilience by resetting his nose before the end of the round, but the damage had already taken its toll both physically and in terms of momentum.
Heading into the final round, Du Plessis maintained his aggressive approach, keeping Strickland on the defensive. While Strickland was still seeking any opportunity for a knockout, it was clear that Du Plessis was in control of the bout. The fight lasted the full five rounds, but the outcome was much less in question than in their first meeting. When the scorecards were finally read, Du Plessis was declared the winner by unanimous decision, with scores of 50-45, 50-45, and 49-46, affirming his status as the champion.
With this victory, Du Plessis solidified his position atop the UFC middleweight division. In a post-fight moment, he appeared to gesture toward light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira, hinting at potential future matchups, but a host of challengers within the middleweight category still looms. The most likely contender for Du Plessis’s next title defense is Khamzat Chimaev, who recently made headlines by decisively defeating former champion Robert Whittaker. A matchup between Chimaev and Du Plessis would present an intriguing clash of fighting styles and potentially serve as the next big highlight in the UFC middleweight division if scheduled for later this year.
