Cannonier’s Middleweight Route Runs Past Du Plessis Title Talk
Jared Cannonier’s 2025 middleweight campaign included a comeback stoppage of Gregory Rodrigues and a decision defeat to Michael Page. Dricus du Plessis defended the UFC championship against Sean Strickland in February before losing it to Khamzat Chimaev in August.
How the story unfolded
Cannonier stopped Rodrigues twenty-one seconds into the fourth round at UFC APEX on February 15. After surviving two opening-round knockdowns, he gradually found his offense and produced the late rally that ended the main event.
Du Plessis had retained his title against Strickland at UFC 312 one week earlier. The five-round Sydney rematch ended in a unanimous decision for the South African, with two judges returning a shutout and the third awarding Strickland one round.
The result and its significance
At UFC 319 in Chicago on August 16, Cannonier faced Page while du Plessis defended against Chimaev. Page won a three-round unanimous decision, all judges scoring it 29–28. Chimaev then won the championship by unanimous decision after repeatedly taking du Plessis down and controlling the positions.
Those completed contests put the two middleweights on separate competitive tracks. Cannonier’s rally against Rodrigues did not become a championship meeting with du Plessis; his next major test came against Page. Du Plessis’s title defense instead ended against Chimaev, bringing a decisive change at the head of the division on the same Chicago card.
Sources
- ufc.com: main card results highlights winner interviews ufc 312 du plessis vs strickland 2 sydney
- ufc.com: main card results highlights winner interviews ufc 319 du plessis vs chimaev chicago
- ufc.com: main card results highlights winner interviews ufc fight night cannonier vs rodrigues las vegas
Article Tags
Jared Cannonier, Gregory Rodrigues, Dricus du Plessis, Sean Strickland, UFC, MMA
