This past Saturday in the main event of UFC 312, we saw a rematch for the middleweight title. Champion Dricus Du Plessis (23-2) was looking for his second successful title defense as he took on the man he initially took the middleweight title from in Sean Strickland (29-7).
The first fight between these two that went down in January of last year was incredibly close. I personally scored the fight for Strickland but I can easily see how DDP got the nod on the cards. Both men were looking to make a statement in this one to provide a clear winning and make sure there was no controversy.
Well, one man did on Saturday night and that man was Dricus Du Plessis. From the opening bell, DDP got ahead with his volume and his kicks. Strickland was plotting forward but it seemed like he really had trouble pulling the trigger. While Strickland was holding his own, Du Plessis won the first three rounds in my opinion.
In the fourth, Du Plessis shattered Strickland’s nose with a right hand. He went for the finish but Strickland was able to hold on. By the end of the fight, Du Plessis looked slightly bruised but Strickland was battered. Nearly a clean sweep on the cards for DDP as he retained his UFC middleweight title.
What’s next after UFC 312?
In his post-fight interview, Du Plessis called out light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira who cornered Strickland for this fight. While that’s a dream matchup for DDP, even he acknowledged at the post-fight press conference that he wouldn’t be fighting Pereira next.
Du Plessis is going to be facing Khamzat Chimaev next for the middleweight title. This has been the plan all along and UFC CEO Dana White confirmed that Chimaev would be next for Du Plessis. It’ll be a fascinating matchup as it’ll be the first time we’ve seen DDP face a wrestler the caliber of Khamzat Chimaev. My guess is that this fight will be one of the lead options for International Fight Week in July.