The Sean Strickland era never had a chance, at least in terms of longevity.
UFC 297 spotlighted the Middleweight division in Toronto, Ontario, Canada this past weekend (Jan. 20, 2024). Despite a new titleholder getting crowned as recently as September 2023 when Strickland dethroned Israel Adesanya via a unanimous decision (watch highlights), the belt changed hands once again.
Dricus Du Plessis went on to capture gold with a split decision over Strickland in a hard-fought battle that ultimately came down to round three on the judges’ scorecards (watch highlights). As the fight went on, damage accumulated on both men, leading to cuts and swelling around each other’s eyes. Strickland has since claimed that a headbutt caused his cut. Had it not happened, the former champion believes he’d still have gold in his possession.
“I didn’t take the coward’s way out and tell the doctor I couldn’t see and got a no contest….” Strickland said on Instagram. “The only reason why you took a round from me is because I couldn’t see.. I won that fight, the world knows I won that fight……. The belt they gave you will never make you a champion, enjoy…. They had to stitch through muscle to get it closed.
“Thank you to everyone your support has really kept my head up high through all this, grateful forever,” he concluded.
Strickland followed up his initial post with a stat graphic of round-by-round significant strike numbers, favoring him in all rounds but the second.
As close as the fight may have been, it wasn’t close enough for UFC CEO, Dana White, to consider an instant rematch — he even had Strickland as the winner on his own personal scorecard. With the win, Du Plessis is now the first South African champion in promotional history and extended his winning streak to nine (seven in UFC, 21-2 overall).
Seeing the comments from “Tarzan,” “DDP” was amused and threw out a callback to their pre-fight build.
“Why don’t you cry about it… AGAIN,” Du Plessis responded.
For complete UFC 297 results, coverage and highlights, click HERE.