Discus du Plessis (21-2) defeated Sean Strickland (28-6) via split decision to earn the UFC Middleweight title from Scotiabank Arena in Toronto at UFC 297.
Strickland was the aggressor to open the fight, with du Plessis sitting back and looking for counter opportunities. Just like he did with Israel Adesanya, Strickland did well jabbing and checking kicks. Toward the end of the round, du Plessis shot Strickland against the cage, took him down and Strickland quickly moved back to his feet. Strickland continued to chip away with jabs and landed a big right hand to end the round.
Strickland continued to jab du Plessis and the challenger had trouble finding his range. Late in the second, he began to find his openings, getting his own shots in before taking the champ to the ground for another takedown.
The third saw du Plessis continue to move forward, sticking to his gameplan despite Strickland’s success jabbing and checking his shots. Du Plessis continued to toss one-two shots, as Strickland moved more firmly into a defensive position.
The championship rounds opened with both corners urging their fighters to attack. Du Plessis opened up a cut on Strickland with a big elbow and it seemed to wake Strickland up, who followed with a few right hands of his own. Another right from du Plessis really opened up the cut on Strickland. Strickland attempted to clinch, which led to another takedown for the challenger. Du Plessis shot again, taking Strickland down with ease. Back on their feet, du Plessis went right back to work with lefts and rights before the end of the round.
In the fifth and final round, Strickland tried to get back to his pinpoint striking. Du Plessis changed levels over and again, kicking at Strickland’s legs, then going up top. Du Plessis shot for a takedown, but Strickland stuffed it. The last minute of the round came with both fighters throwing everything they had, doing what they could to gather the last few points before a decision.
Du Plessis turned down the UFC’s first offer for a title fight against Adesanya last September. Du Plessis is unbeaten in his UFC career, with two knockout victories over former title contenders last year in Derek Brunson and Robert Whittaker.
Strickland headed into Saturday night’s fight with his first title defense after shocking Adesanya in a decision victory at UFC 293. Strickland stepped in after du Plessis skipped out on the UFC’s offer for a title shot. Strickland came into Saturday night’s main event with consecutive wins in 2023 after losing both fights in 2022 at the hands of Alex Pereira and Jared Cannoneir.
