In the main event of UFC 312, popular South African brawler Dricus Du Plessis rematches divisive former foe Sean Strickland with middleweight gold on the line.
UFC 312 represents the second title rematch of Dricus Du Plessis’ career, and he’ll certainly be hoping for a better outcome this time around; having been badly knocked out in what stands as his last professional loss back in his KSW days.
‘Stillknocks’ is also hoping to put a stamp on his intense rivalry with Sean Strickland and just a few days out from the biggest fight of his MMA career, Du Plessis is making some bold predictions for how UFC 312 will play out.
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Dricus Du Plessis vows to finish Sean Strickland at UFC 312
Dricus Du Plessis won the UFC middleweight title in a razor-close decision win over Sean Strickland in January 2024; so close that it arguably could’ve swung either way.
Speaking with Triple M Radio, the South African champion has now promised that he’ll put on a more definitive and dominant performance at UFC 312 this weekend – one that’ll one way or another, end with Strickland unconscious on the canvas.
“In my whole career, I’ve only went the distance twice and both have been incredible fights; I don’t mind the distance if it’s an entertaining fight, I’ve never had a boring fight in my life… And in this fight, I know I can finish the job [inside the distance].
“I don’t see this fight going – I mean, we might see the championship rounds in rounds four and five – but there’s just no way that we’re seeing the final bell… I’m prepared for a stand-up war, I’m prepared for the ground game, and I’m prepared to do whatever’s necessary [to win] this fight.”
Whilst the South African remains incredibly confident in his own skillset and gameplan, he understands that when it comes to someone as talented as Strickland, strategy can only get you so far.
“It’s hard to say because we’ve been in there together, felt the power and the speed – the unfamiliarity is not as great – but now, everybody is coming in with a plan of ‘Oh, we’ve seen what he does wrong, let’s do this’.
“We have our plans, they have their plans so it might be the exact same fight, just better, or it might be completely different on the night. Unfortunately, you can prepare as you want in terms of gameplan, but that goes out the window pretty quickly in any fight.”
- UFC 312: Sean Strickland reveals what he’ll do differently after rewatching first Dricus du Plessis fight
Dricus Du Plessis reveals what he learned from first Sean Strickland fight
In their first fight at UFC 297, Strickland outlanded Du Plessis 174-137 on significant strikes, but it was ‘Stillknocks’ who ultimately got the nod thanks to his six successful takedowns.
Speaking to ESPN MMA earlier this week, Du Plessis would not only offer a rare compliment to Strickland for his defensive prowess, but hinted that he’s learned what to do in order to get the stoppage this time around.
“Defensively, Sean Strickland is one of the best fighters in the world, he’s really good at that and he’s really responsible with his defense, and he prioritizes defense over offense, so he doesn’t necessarily give you the opportunity [to finish him].
“I think the pace was so high in that fight, but I only started pushing the pace later in the fight where I should’ve and now, I know I can start pushing that pace from the word go.”
Whilst Strickland might be known for his insane striking output, according to the UFC stats, it’s actually Du Plessis who holds the advantage, landing 6.18 significant strikes per minute to Strickland’s 6.01.
That being said, Du Plessis also gets tagged slightly more than Strickland; absorbing 4.85 significant strikes on average per minute compared to 4.48 for his title challenger.
Whatever way you look at it, the rematch is as close to call as any in recent title fight memory – UFC 312: Du Plessis vs Strickland 2 goes down live from Australia on Saturday, February 8.