On Saturday night in Toronto at UFC 297, the promotion crowned two new champions.
On Saturday night in Toronto at the Scotiabank Arena, Dricus Du Plessis dethroned Sean Strickland in an epic and close main event of UFC 297.
Du Plessis prevailed via split decision, with two judges scoring it 49-48 in his favor and the third judge awarding Strickland the fight by the same score.
Du Plessis’ pressure was omnipresent, and it wore Strickland down throughout the five-round war.
Both fighters were bloodied during the fight, with Strickland suffering a nasty gash near his left eye. Du Plessis had to fight through significant swelling over his left eyelid. Thankfully, the two middleweight stalwarts rescued the evening following a lackluster co-main event that didn’t meet UFC’s championship standards.
There was tons of bad blood between Du Plessis and Strickland leading up to the fight, but the combatants were respectful toward each other in the Octagon and the post-fight press conferences. Strickland expressed a desire for a rematch, but Du Plessis took his time on the mic to call out Israel Adesanya.
The latter is a former two-time UFC middleweight champion who stepped away from the sport after dropping the title to Strickland in September 2023.
Adesanya vs. Du Plessis is a significant money fight sure to have its share of quotables leading up to the fight if Adesanya is ready to return.
