While the UFC 312 main event itself didn’t exactly deliver fireworks, color commentator Joe Rogan was extremely impressed by how middleweight kingpin Dricus Du Plessis controlled it.
Du Plessis returned to the cage for his first assignment of the new year and second defense of the 185-pound title on Saturday night, headlining the pay-per-view in Sydney, Australia opposite a familiar foe in Sean Strickland.
After narrowly dethroning the polarizing American by way of split decision 13 months ago, the South African champ put a stamp on his superiority over “Tarzan” second time around.
During his JRE Fight Companion episode for UFC 312, Rogan reacted to Du Plessis’ dominant five-round decision victory over the former titleholder, who was left with a badly broken nose.
“DDP fought really well, man,” Rogan said. “It was that big right hand that changed everything. … Dricus Du Plessis, ladies and gentlemen. He’s a tough puzzle to figure out. A very tough fight to figure out.
“He’s a big f***** for 185 pounds too. That’s a big f*****,” Rogan continued. “He did a really good job of setting up, throwing that low kick, switch kick to the body, and kept that pace up for the entire five (rounds). He keeps getting better.”
While Strickland goes back to the drawing board after being pushed out of the title conversation following two defeats to Du Plessis in his last three fights, “Stillknocks” has a ready list of challengers vying for a shot at his gold.
It would appear that the undefeated Khamzat Chimaev is immediately next in line, with the rising Nassourdine Imavov chomping at the bit another step down the middleweight ladder.