Dricus Du Plessis put an end to the controversial Sean Strickland title reign early Sunday morning when the South African won the UFC middleweight title in a split decision.
The 30-year-old Du Plessis became the first South African champion in UFC history and called for his country’s flag to be draped around him as he celebrated. Known for his overwhelming power, Du Plessis showcased a far deeper well of stamina than many thought he had in the 25-minute affair to improve to 21-2 and 7-0 in the UFC.
He bounced back from a poor first round to control the tempo of the fight, utilizing an exhausting mix of forward-moving kickboxing and relentless takedowns to keep Strickland on his back foot.
After 5 rounds @DricusDuPlessis gets the split decision and is YOUR NEW middleweight champion 🏆#UFC297 pic.twitter.com/xyR1Bsn2Fa
— UFC (@ufc) January 21, 2024
Strickland, who won the belt by dethroning Israel Adesanya in September at UFC 293, found plenty of success with his jab and utilized his trademark defense to nullify many of Du Plessis’ punches. But after reading Du Plessis like a book the first few rounds, the challenger turned the tide in the championship rounds.
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In the fourth round — and the first time Du Plessis had ever been in a fight that advanced past the third round — “Stillknocks” bloodied Strickland with a flurry of fierce strikes and elbows. After Strickland was initially cut open near his right eye in the second round, Du Plessis left him with a crimson mask in the fourth as he controlled the champion on the ground.
But after the two brash fighters spent months building their fight with a war of contentious words, not to mention a brouhaha in the stands at UFC 296, they saved the all-out brawling for the final minute of the fifth round. With the fight decision seeming very much in the air, Strickland finally let loose with a flurry of strikes, but two of the three judges ruled it was too little, too late.
Du Plessis is widely expected to defend his belt against Adesanya. The two were expected to fight at UFC 293 following Du Plessis’ victory over longtime contender Robert Whittaker at UFC 290, after which Adesanya hopped in the cage to stare down and trash talk his presumed challenger.
But instead, Du Plessis opted not to fight at UFC 293 due to a leg injury. His replacement that night was Strickland.
In the co-main event, 35-year-old Raquel Pennington claimed the women’s bantamweight title with a unanimous decision victory over Mayra Bueno Silva. Pennington fought off numerous submission attempts from her Brazilian challenger, including a nasty rear-naked choke in the fourth round.
Pennington secured the victory largely thanks to her dominant jab and sharp knees in the clinch. According to UFC statistics, Pennington outlanded Bueno Silva 252 to 88 in total strikes.
This marked the second time Pennington had fought for bantamweight gold, having previously come up short against Amanda Nunes in May 2018. Nunes, the most dominant women’s fighter in UFC history, vacated the strap with her retirement after UFC 289.
Earlier in the card, the UFC announced that former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar would be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame later this year.
Helluva career, @FrankieEdgar đź‘Ź
Congrats on your #UFCHOF induction! pic.twitter.com/9Jdo1QzekE
— UFC (@ufc) January 21, 2024
Required reading
- UFC 297 predictions, odds, best bets: Breaking down Sean Strickland vs. Driscus Du Plessis and more
- Justin Gaethje to defend BMF belt vs. Max Holloway at UFC 300
(Top photo: Jeff Bottari / Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
