Dricus Du Plessis is banking on a stoppage later tonight (Sat., Jan. 20, 2024) at UFC 297 live on ESPN+ PPV from inside Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, when the surging South-African contender meets Sean Strickland for the undisputed UFC middleweight title.
Du Plessis, who is entering his first five-round UFC fight, has looked nearly unstoppable since his debut back in 2020. The former KSW welterweight champion has amassed an undefeated record of 6-0 in the UFC’s dangerous middleweight division and is coming off an ultra-impressive TKO win over Robert Whittaker. In total, “Stillknocks” has turned in five finishes under the bright lights of the Octagon and only has one decision win in his entire career.
In other words, Du Plessis knows how to finish fights and is pretty damn good at it.
On Saturday night, DDP will face one of the most durable fighters at 185 pounds. Strickland is incredibly tough and possesses a motor built for 25 minutes of fighting. He has gone five rounds five times as a member of the UFC roster and simply never seems to tire. It will be up to Du Plessis to inflict early damage and force Strickland out of the fight before the championship rounds.
Following UFC 297’s ceremonial weigh ins on Friday (watch HERE), Du Plessis caught up with MMA reporter, Chamatkar Sandhu, backstage and offered his final thoughts on the fight.
“Yeah, man, I love these faceoffs,” said Du Plessis. “It’s always amazing to see into your opponent’s eyes. Am I seeing fear? Am I seeing confidence? What I’m seeing from him is very conflicting in his eyes. I can see he doesn’t know. He can see I’m physically a specimen that’s going to stand in front of him in that cage.
“But right now he has to deal with that in his mind tonight when he goes to bed. And I feel absolutely incredible and ready to go.”
“I finish Sean Strickland within the first three rounds of this fight,” he added. “This fight’s not going Round 4 or 5. There’s no way.”
“I finish Sean Strickland within the first three rounds!”@dricusduplessis is looking to make a statement and bring UFC Middleweight Gold back to South Africa
@SandhuMMA #UFC297 | Saturday | LIVE on TNT Sports & discovery+ pic.twitter.com/mTSR2nrUom
— UFC on TNT Sports (@ufcontnt) January 20, 2024
What do you think, Maniacs? Will Du Plessis be able to do enough damage over the course of three rounds to stop Strickland? Or will Strickland’s cardio prevail and outlast “Stillknocks” down the stretch?
Let us know in the comments below!
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 297 fight card right RIGHT HERE, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches at 6:30 p.m. ET, followed by the remaining undercard balance on ESPNN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.
To check out the latest and greatest UFC 297: “Strickland vs. Du Plessis” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here. For the updated and finalized UFC 297 fight card and ESPN+ lineup click here.