There were no scorecard debates after the rematch between Dricus Du Plessis and Sean Strickland this weekend.
UFC Middleweight Champion Du Plessis nearly pitched a shutout against former champ Strickland on Saturday night, winning via unanimous decision after their five-round stand-up battle.
The dominant performance from Du Plessis at UFC 312 inside the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia provided closure for his rivalry with Strickland, producing an undeniable result following their close 2024 meeting.
A wide variety of strikes from Du Plessis through five rounds—not only going after the head of Strickland with his typical wild, wailing hooks but also going down to the body and targeting the legs with kicks—gave the champ an edge against the rigid boxing gameplan of Strickland. While Strickland certainly landed his fair share of shots, it was clear in each round that Du Plessis was pulling further ahead with his more diverse style.
Strickland would often focus solely on working his jab and following up with a straight punch or setting up for a hook combination. Du Plessis, on the other hand, was winding up for bigger shots that gave him the most notable moments of the fight. After scoring with a hard head kick, a spinning backfist and a spinning back elbow in earlier minutes of the bout, Du Plessis’ biggest shot came in the fourth round when a right hand busted open the nose of Strickland.
Strickland’s corner urged him to change his style during the fight, with coach Eric Nicksick telling him before the championship rounds that he was “gonna have to start opening up.” Unfortunately for Strickland, any adjustments he made weren’t enough to give Du Plessis trouble.
Du Plessis, a fighter who has won a large majority of his pro appearances via stoppage, emphasized the toughness of Strickland afterward.
“I told you guys when I come in here I try to knock this man out … I gave it my all,” Du Plessis said during his post-fight interview. “I’m sorry I couldn’t get him out of here.”
A second meeting between Du Plessis and Strickland felt inevitable due to how close their 2024 matchup was. Du Plessis dethroned the American contender at UFC 297 last year by the narrowest of results, winning via split decision with a one-round margin on all three scorecards. The outcome was discussed at length by viewers afterward, with the sport’s fanbase failing to form a consensus opinion on who was the true winner.
The dominant nature of Du Plessis’ win on Saturday allows him to move onto newer opportunities within the division. After spending his past three title bouts facing fighters who had previous experience in championship fights—facing Strickland twice and submitting future UFC Hall of Famer Israel Adesanya last year—Du Plessis is likely to meet a rising contender in his next appearance.
There are two top contenders to Du Plessis at the moment: Third-ranked undefeated Khamzat Chimaev, who has taken down former champs Kamaru Usman and Robert Whittaker in recent years, is one. Another is second-ranked Frenchman Nassourdine Imavov, who defeated Adesanya earlier this month for his third main event win within a year’s time.
Du Plessis has overcome notable names from middleweight’s past. However, many more big challenges are waiting for him in the near future.
Here are the quick results from UFC 312:
Main Card (10:00PM EST / 2:00PM AEDT) (PPV)
Bout 12: Dricus Du Plessis def. Sean Strickland via Decision, Unanimous(UFC Middleweight Championship)
Bout 11: Zhang Weili def. Tatiana Suarez via Decision, Unanimous (UFC Strawweight Championship)
Bout 10: Tallison Teixeira def. Justin Tafa via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 0:35)
Bout 9: Jimmy Crute vs. Rodolfo Bellato via Decision, Majority Draw
Bout 8: Jake Matthews def. Francisco Prado via Decision, Unanimous
Preliminary Card (8:00PM EST / 12:00PM AEDT) (ESPN2 / ESPN+)
Bout 7: Gabriel Santos def. Jack Jenkins via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 3, 2:06)Bout 6: Tom Nolan def. Viacheslav Borshchev via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 5: Wang Cong def. Bruna Brasil via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 4: Aleksandre Topuria def. Colby Thicknesse via Decision, Unanimous
Early Prelims (6:30PM EST / 10:30AM AEDT) (ESPN+ / UFC Fight Pass)
Bout 3: Rongzhu def. Kody Steele via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 2: Jonathan Micallef def. Kevin Jousset via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 1: Quillan Salkilld def. Anshul Jubli via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 0:19)
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