Dricus Du Plessis Clinches Another Victory
Dricus Du Plessis kept the UFC middleweight championship with a unanimous-decision win over Sean Strickland in their rematch at UFC 312 in Sydney on February 8, 2025. The five-round result was decisive on the official cards: 50–45, 50–45 and 49–46. It was Du Plessis’s second successful title defense and a clearer margin than their first meeting, which Du Plessis won by split decision at UFC 297.
A five-round rematch, settled on the cards
Strickland opened with the familiar upright stance and steady jab, trying to control range and make the champion work for every entry. Du Plessis pressed forward behind a wider variety of attacks, mixing punches with changes of level and occasional takedown attempts. Strickland defended much of the grappling and returned to his feet when taken down, but Du Plessis kept forcing exchanges rather than letting the challenger settle into a rhythm.
The fourth round brought the bout’s most visible turning point. Du Plessis landed a hard right hand that badly damaged Strickland’s nose; blood followed, and the challenger had to fight through the injury while still trying to answer with his jab and counters. The blow did not end the contest. Strickland stayed in the fight to the final bell, which matters when describing the win: Du Plessis earned a wide decision, not a stoppage.
UFC’s recap described Du Plessis as out-working Strickland early, then pulling away after the nose injury. The scorecards reflect that broad control, though the 49–46 card shows at least one judge gave Strickland a round. The official totals should not be mistaken for a round-by-round consensus: judges score each round independently, and a unanimous decision means all three selected the same winner, not that every round was scored identically.
What the result meant for the title picture
The rematch followed a close first encounter in January 2024. Du Plessis had taken Strickland’s belt at UFC 297 by split decision, so the return fight offered both men a chance to remove doubt. In Sydney, Du Plessis made the case more plainly through sustained pressure and heavier moments, while Strickland’s jab remained a reliable part of his offense. The defending champion did not need a finish to retain the belt; the five-round decision established his second defense and closed this chapter of their rivalry.
The UFC 312 win followed Du Plessis’s first successful defense against Israel Adesanya at UFC 305 in August 2024. That sequence put his championship run in context: after winning the belt from Strickland, he defended it against another former champion, then beat Strickland again in the rematch. UFC 312 therefore settled the immediate rivalry while adding another high-profile name to the list of challengers Du Plessis had beaten during his reign.
For Strickland, the loss ended his attempt to regain the championship, but his ability to continue after the fourth-round injury prevented the bout from becoming a late stoppage. For Du Plessis, the win preserved his position at the top of the division and strengthened his claim through a rematch performance that left less room for debate about the outcome. The UFC did not announce a next challenger in the official result notice, so any immediate matchup discussion remained speculation at the time.
