Dricus Du Plessis is your new UFC middleweight champion.
Emanating from Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, UFC 297 delivered a memorable main-event matchup between defending titleholder Sean Strickland and the South African standout. As things got underway, Strickland lit up ‘DDP’ with his signature jab. The same one that caused a plethora of problems for Israel Adesanya last year. However, Du Plessis fared much better than ‘The Last Stylebender’ by mixing up his attacks on the feet before shooting in for takedowns.
Though ‘Stillknocks’ was unable to keep Strickland on the canvas for long, the threat of the takedown was enough to put the outspoken superstar on his back foot long enough for Du Plessis to take control of the third and fourth rounds. Strickland poured it on in the final five minutes, but by then, it just wasn’t enough.
‘DDP’ walked away with the win and his first UFC title via split decision.
Following the contest, Du Plessis spoke with Daniel Cormier during his post-fight interview where he broke down his performance and what he believes ultimately earned him the 185-pound crown.
“I honestly thought with the takedowns, I made sure on every round,” Du Plessis said of his performance. “I could feel it was a close fight. I felt that he gets up really well. I felt the first three rounds was give and take but those last two rounds I know. I was there for rounds four and five. Who says this guy’s not a five round fighter?
“He has a super, super strong jab. It feels like somebody hits you with a rock. It was imperative that I make him go backwards. If I’m pressuring with this physique, I promise you’re going to get tired. Sean Strickland, you said to death, I tried to kill you in here tonight, didn’t quite get there but you are one hell of a man. Thank you for bringing the best out of me. It was an honor sharing the cage with you.”
Before exiting the Octagon to go celebrate with his family, Du Plessis called out Israel Adesanya.
“Israel Adesanya, get your ass back in the UFC so we can settle the score,” Du Plessis shouted while addressing the former middleweight champion.
Dricus Du Plessis called out Israel Adesanya
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— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 21, 2024
Following Du Plessis’ second-round knockout of Robert Whittaker in July, Adesanya entered the cage for an intense face-off with ‘Stillknocks’ that quickly became uncomfortable. ‘DDP’ was slated to fight the ‘Stylebender’ in September 2023, but the eight-week turnaround was too soon for Du Plessis to accept the fight, paving the way for Strickland to step in and shock the world.
With ‘DDP’ now carrying the gold, we could finally see Du Plessis and Adesanya settle their issues inside the Octagon.