After five rounds, the judges scored a unanimous decision in favour of the Welkom-born Du Plessis, marking his second win against the American.

Du Plessis won just about every round in the fight, which was a striking contest as opposed to a wrestling affair. Du Plessis only attempted one takedown during the fight, at the end of the third round, but Strickland quickly broke free.

broken nose; dricus du plessis vs sean strickland; #UFC312 pic.twitter.com/L1qF8ivo1X

— ? (@H00DH3R0) February 9, 2025

Du Plessis fought a smart fight by focusing on body shots and head kicks. However, he struck with more power and frequency than the former champion.

The bout swung in Du Plessis’ favour early in the fourth round when a powerful right hand broke Strickland’s nose. Du Plessis smelled blood, but the American proved his toughness by continuing as if nothing had happened.

Strickland is one of the best defensive fighters in the world, and landing a punch on him is not an easy feat. At times, this frustrated the crowd.

Ultimately, Du Plessis was too clinical for the American, who, at times – especially during the first three rounds – looked a little lethargic. While Strickland threw far fewer punches than Du Plessis, he made them count when they landed.

Sean Strickland loses to Dricus Du Plessis at #UFC312pic.twitter.com/VGfhDHHDsQ

— SOUND | Victor Baez (@itsavibe) February 9, 2025

Unlike a year ago, when Du Plessis beat Strickland by decision in Toronto, Canada, to become the middleweight world champion, there is no disputing who the winner was this time.

This was Du Plessis’ second title defence, and he has now beaten the man he took the belt from twice. Even Strickland admitted after the fight that he was beaten fair and square.

It will be interesting to see who faces Du Plessis in his next fight. In an ideal world, it would be against the Russian-Emirati fighter, Khamzat Chimaev, and in South Africa.

OFM Sport/Morgan Piek dg