Dricus du Plessis e Sean Strickland took revenge on UFC 312. Photo: Reproduction/Twitter/UFC
Dricus du Plessis derrotou Sean Strickland by unanimous decision of the judges in the main fight of the UFC 312, in Sydney, Australia, in a fight valid for the organization's world middleweight title (up to 83,9 kg). With the result, the South African reached his second successful title defense and ended once and for all the controversies created with the first fight.
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Dricus du Plessis was more aggressive throughout the five rounds
Dricus du Plessis e Sean Strickland took revenge on UFC 312. Photo: Reproduction/Twitter/UFC
The fighters opted for a more studied pace in the first round. While Strickland moved forward and tried to establish a good jab, Du Plessis was more aggressive and risked kicks to the waistline and head. Apart from two attempts at spinning kicks by the South African, the first five minutes were not very aggressive.
The champion continued to punish the American with kicks to the waist and head, while Strickland tried to open up his game with more aggressive combinations and front kicks. The first signs of damage became visible at this point in the fight: while du Plessis suffered a small cut on his nose, the former champion was bleeding from a wound in his mouth.
If in the first ten minutes the South African stood out for being slightly more active, this intensified in the third round. In addition to kicks to the calf and waistline, he began to stomp on his opponent's knee. As the crowd began to boo, the champion landed a beautiful spinning punch to his opponent's face. In the final part of the round, it was Strickland's turn to swallow a spinning elbow and be taken down.
Dricus du Plessis e Sean Strickland took revenge on UFC 312. Photo: Reproduction/Twitter/UFC
Emotions in the American's corner were clearly running high before the fourth round. The coaches Sean Strickland They demanded a change in the attitude of the fighter, who built a successful career with an intense volume of strikes while standing. Despite this, the sermon had no effect.
It was at this point in the fight that a powerful punch from the South African fractured the former champion's nose. With great courage, he moved the bones back into place while defending himself from his opponent's aggressive attack.
Dricus du Plessis seemingly broke Sean Strickland's nose with a right hand in the 4th round #UFC312pic.twitter.com/N6obgVeRik
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) February 9, 2025
In the last five minutes, Strickland tried to be more aggressive after another scolding from his team. However, it was not possible to reverse the advantage built by Dricus du Plessis over the course of 20 minutes. Interestingly, despite his poor performance, the American broke the record for most significant strikes landed in the history of the middleweight category, surpassing Michael Bisping. The champion has already achieved the highest personal record of leg kicks in a single fight.
At the end of the 25 minutes of confrontation, Dricus du Plessis was declared the winner by unanimous decision of the judges, with two judges scoring it 50-45 in his favor, while the third scored it 49-46. The South African earned his ninth victory in the world's largest MMA organization and has not known a defeat in more than six years.
UFC 312 results
MAIN CARD (00pm Brasília time)
Average weight (up to 83,9 kg): Dricus du Plessis derrotou Sean Strickland in the unanimous decision of the judges (50-45, 50-45, 49-46) – fight for the belt
Straw weight (up to 52,1 kg): Weili Zhang derrotou Tatiana Suarez placeholder image in the unanimous decision of the judges (49-46, 49-46, 49-45) – fight for the belt
Heavy weight (up to 120,2 kg): Tallison Teixeira derrotou justin tafa by technical knockout (punches) at 35 seconds of R1
Light heavyweight (up to 93 kg): Jimmy crute e Rodolfo Bellato tied in the judges' majority decision (29-27, 28-28, 28-28)
Welterweight (up to 77,1 kg): Jake matthews derrotou Francis Meadow in the unanimous decision of the judges (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
PRELIMINARY CARD (20:30 p.m. Brasília time)
Featherweight (up to 65,7 kg): Gabriel Mosquitinho finished Jack Jenkins with a rear naked choke at 2:06. from R3
Light weight (up to 70,3 kg): Tom nolan derrotou Viacheslav Borshchev in the unanimous decision of the judges (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Flyweight (up to 56,7 kg): Cong Wang derrotou Bruna Brazil in the unanimous decision of the judges (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Bantam weight (up to 61,2 kg): Alexander Topuria defeated Colby Thicknesse by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Light weight (up to 70,3 kg): Zhu Rong derrotou Kody Steele by unanimous decision of the judges (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Welterweight (up to 77,1 kg): Jonathan Micallef derrotou Kevin Jousset by unanimous decision of the judges (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Light weight (up to 70,3 kg): Quillan Salkilld derrotou Anshul Jubli by knockout (punch) at 19sec of R1
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