I think I speak for all of us when I say…gonna need to see that trilogy.
— Chuck Mindenhall (@ChuckMindenhall) February 9, 2025
Official: DDP beats Strickland (50-45 x 2, 49-46).And still.
Khamzat next.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) February 9, 2025
We’ll never question Strickland’s toughness. But he just had nothing for DDP. Can’t blame this one on a headbutt or the judges. https://t.co/AD8GSe8YTa
— Ben Fowlkes (@benfowlkesMMA) February 9, 2025
- SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – FEBRUARY 09: (L-R) Sean Strickland battles Dricus Du Plessis of South Africa in the UFC middleweight championship fight during the UFC 312 event at Qudos Bank Arena on February 09, 2025 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
- They trade push kicks before Du Plessis looks back at the head kick to no avail. Hard jab from Strickland. Right hand gets through for Du Plessis. Strickland lands a two-punch combo. Body kick from Du Plessis and then a leg kick. A wild near-takedown attempt from Du Plessis teased a choke from Strickland but he ignored it. Strickland just isn’t going. He jabs then checks his nose while Du Plessis follows. Hard body kick and overhand right from Du Plessis. A big left from Du Plessis splatters the bloody face of Strickland. The head kick grazes Strickland. Straight right to the body for the champ. 30 seconds. Strickland wings wildly and push kicks. Too little too late as Strickland slings a looping left hand that’s blocked. Easy scoring to be done next. Can “DDP” be stopped?
- 10-9 Du Plessis (50-45 Du Plessis)
4-0 DDP.
Strickland’s nose is bleeding a lot. Maybe broken. Last 5 minutes for him coming up. Might be his last chance at a title.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) February 9, 2025
- The leg kicks keep coming from Du Plessis. A hard jab lands on Strickland then a body hook. Strickland is met with a push kick to the body. Big right hand to Strickland’s nose bothers him. The champion pursues the literal blood. Strickland is on the back foot just trying to avoid shots. Du Plessis is on the attack, looking for anything he can to put Strickland away. Nice one, two from Strickland as he starts to fire back. He eats a big right hand right after. Du Plessis launches a right hand down the middle. Strickland sneaks a right over the top. Two big right hands find their home for the champ. Strickland just can’t avoid it. Alright, one left for Strickland to find the finish.
- 10-9 Du Plessis (40-36 Du Plessis)
DDP got a little crazy trying to finish when he saw all the blood from Strickland’s nose but now he is looking kinda high on the Coleman Index.
— Ben Fowlkes (@benfowlkesMMA) February 9, 2025
Eric Nicksick laying into Sean Strickland.”It’s all predictable. You gotta fucking push.”Strickland is basically only plotting forward, throwing 1s and 2s. Very few kicks, and never threatens with a takedown or anything else. His coach is 100% right.
30-27 DDP.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) February 9, 2025
- Du Plessis gets right back to his volume striking, kicking away at the challenger. A big right hand lands for Du Plessis. Strickland jabs. A nice combo from Strickland is thrown but blocked. The Du Plessis right hand connects again. I have no idea how Strickland is able to defend punches by literally putting his arm straight up. The guy has great vision, I guess. Du Plessis goes low as he eats a right hand. Stiff jab lands for the champ. Big spinning back fist for Du Plessis. Good jab from Strickland, as he eats an elbow. They wing big looping shots. A wild right hand lands on Du Plessis and he blasts a double straight to the cage. Strickland stands right up.
- 10-9 Du Plessis (30-27 Du Plessis)
20-18 DDP after two.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) February 9, 2025
- Du Plessis goes for a head kick again behind the Strickland push kicks. They trade leg kicks. Du Plessis tries to get past the push kick and goes low again. A big overhand right sneaks over the guard of the champion. The head kick is making Strickland think. Left hook lands for Du Plessis then he gets stung by a jab. They trade hard hooks. Good jab from Du Plessis finds a home now. Then to the body. Heavy inside low kick lands for Du Plessis. Another head kick skims Strickland. Du Plessis is picking up the pace. Spinning back kick to the body for the champ, as he lands a right hand, left hook. Du Plessis manages distance with those thigh kicks. Another head kick gets through. Strickland jabs after taking a body kick. Nice right hand to the body for the champ to finish the round.
- 10-9 Du Plessis (20-18 Du Plessis)
If Strickland fights like that he’s gonna lose again. He’s just not doing enough to win a decision against a guy like DDP.
— Ben Fowlkes (@benfowlkesMMA) February 9, 2025
- Main event. Round 6 starts now. Here we go.
- Strickland walks forward in typical fashion, pawing out the jab. Hard outside leg kick for Du Plessis. Sneaky head kick gets over the guard of Strickland. Strickland finds his jab as Du Plessis goes back low. He goes inside on the next one. Du Plessis is starting to really look for that head kick. Du Plessis lands a nice push kick to the thigh. Strickland goes to the body with a straight right and takes a spinning back kick to the body in return. Du Plessis goes back for the head kick. Snapping jab connects on the champ. Hard leg kick for the champ. That head kick gets through better. Nice right overhand for Du Plessis lands. Back-to-back push kicks from Strickland. Somewhat of a sparring match feel-out first round.
- 10-9 Du Plessis
- Who’s ready for Round 6?
- The narratives surrounding the immediate aftermath of du Plessis vs. Strickland 1 were all over the place. Was it a great fight? Was it a robbery? Was it a coin-flip decision? While all these questions swirled in the ether, the first two should’ve never been invited in reality, because the answer was clearly no.
- Du Plessis ultimately won a hard-fought and competitive split decision. It was entertaining but far from a technical masterpiece, like many of du Plessis and Strickland’s wins. Strickland has since shouted robbery at every turn and blamed Canada for his misfortune, and now they’ve traveled across the globe to settle the score.
- One thing that’s become incredibly apparent throughout du Plessis’ eight-fight UFC run is that he might just be one of the greatest winners of all time. He’s not at all the greatest fighter, especially in terms of his skills and technique. But the guy wants to win so much more than all of his opponents.
- Strickland will Strickland. That’s the big problem for him in this rematch. Since “Tarzan” reached what’s likely his final form at age 33, we know what to expect from him every time out. He has a strong defensive shell, forward pressure and a healthy serving of teep kicks to maintain his distance while searching for an opening to dash off 1-2 combinations.
- In their first fight, du Plessis forced Strickland to brawl more than he typically does, while also mixing in the occasional takedown of his own. “Stillknocks” scored six takedowns in 25 minutes, and should return to that well at a possibly higher frequency on Saturday. Du Plessis also out-landed Strickland, dealing more damage than he absorbed, but the striking battle was closer than their grappling contrast.
- Stylistically, Strickland probably can’t play his usual game twice against someone as aggressive and dangerous everywhere as du Plessis. There’s no reason to believe he won’t, though. The time is now for “DDP.” Don’t be surprised if he puts his rival away in their sequel.
- Pick: Du Plessis
