Dricus Du Plessis Crushes Sean Strickland

© Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

Dricus Du Plessis wanted to make sure that there was no hope for Sean Strickland to think they could possibly get revenge from their first meeting. That hope was quickly taken away by Du Plessis strikes to the face. Du Plessis would defend his middleweight title in an absolute rout at UFC 312 in Sydney, Australia.

After the fight, the champion validated his performance in the octagon. Undoubtedly happy with the complete domination that Dricus Du Plessis displayed.

 

AND STILL ????

Dricus Du Plessis defeats Sean Strickland in the rematch to remain the middleweight champion ???? #UFC312 pic.twitter.com/HcyuTxX3hH

— ESPN (@espn) February 9, 2025

“I told you that when I come here, I’m trying to get the knockout, but to knock out that man is next to impossible,” said Du Plessis. “I wanted a submission, a KO, or an absolute five-round domination, and that’s what I got.”

Without a doubt domination is exactly what Du Plessis got. Also Strickland suffered a broken nose in the 4th round and from whatever fight he had left was smashed out of him. Most likely this is Strickland’s last title shot, he’s at a career crossroads at this point. Strickland has accomplished everything in the octagon, he’s a former champion with nothing else left to prove in the sport.

“The game plan was to stay calm, and that was really hard once I saw him grabbing at his nose like that,” Du Plessis said. “It’s like having someone in front of you who is rocked. It took me 30 seconds to a minute to get back my composure. I don’t want to make a habit of going to decision, but against a competitor like Strickland, it happens.”

Who’s next?

Dricus Du Plessis now improves to (23-2) and could be on a collision course with Khamzat Chimaev who’s looking to get a title shot. But Du Plessis did call out light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira. But it’s definitely going to come down to what Uncle Dana White wants.

 

Canelo Alvarez Selects His Next Opponent