Dricus Du Plessis is the UFC middleweight champion (Photo: Twitter/UFC News)
Even though he nurtured a rivalry with Sean Strickland, Dricus du Plessis does not fail to recognize the talent of the American. The current middleweight champion (up to 83,9 kg.) attempts the second defense of the belt in the rematch next Saturday (8), in the main fight of the UFC 312. When recalling the first fight, which he won by split decision in January 2024, the South African again mentioned some aspects of the fight.
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The result of the first fight caused a lot of controversy. When asked why he was unable to end the fight quickly, Du Plessis was sincere and acknowledged his opponent's qualities.
“He was too good, it wasn’t for lack of trying, you could see that, I was trying, I was throwing everything I had, he was too good. I think the pace was too high in that fight, but I only started to pick up the pace later in the fight, and now I know I can start picking up that pace from the beginning,” said the champion in an interview with ESPN MMA, last Monday (3).
When addressing more technical aspects of the duel, the current champion also mentioned the defensive capacity of Sean Strickland and how this made it difficult for them to perform.
“Defensively, Sean Strickland He is one of the best fighters in the world, he is very good at it and is very responsible with his defense, and prioritizes defense over attack, so he doesn't necessarily give you the opportunity (to finish him)," concluded the fighter.
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