Du Plessis Retains Title Against Strickland
Dricus Du Plessis and Sean Strickland met again for the UFC middleweight title at UFC 312 on February 8, 2025. Du Plessis won by unanimous decision to retain the belt.
Du Plessis won all three scorecards
At Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, judges scored the five-round bout 50-45, 50-45 and 49-46 for Du Plessis. The official UFC scorecards confirm the unanimous decision. The UFC 312 event results also record the title defense.
The rematch followed their UFC 297 title fight
Du Plessis also beat Strickland by split decision in their first meeting at UFC 297 in January 2024, taking the middleweight championship. The UFC’s rematch timeline recaps the rivalry leading into their second fight in Sydney.
What changed between the title fights
Both men earned another victory between their first meeting and the Sydney rematch. Strickland defeated Paulo Costa by split decision over five rounds at UFC 302 in June 2024. Du Plessis then submitted Israel Adesanya in the fourth round at UFC 305 that August, completing his first successful championship defense before facing Strickland again.
That sequence meant UFC 312 brought the same opponents back with their roles reversed. In Toronto, Strickland had entered as champion and Du Plessis as challenger. In Sydney, Du Plessis carried the belt and Strickland attempted to regain it. The rematch became the South African’s second successful defense, extending the reign he had begun against the American.
The official scores also distinguish the two outcomes. Their first contest divided the judges, while all three selected Du Plessis in the rematch. Two scored every round for him, and the third awarded him four rounds. That wider agreement on the cards provides the clearest measure of how decisively he answered the second challenge, without treating pre-fight remarks as evidence of a result.
