UFC 297: Du Plessis Beats Sean Strickland By Controversial Split Decision

Dricus Du Plessis(21-2) faced off against middleweight champion Sean Strickland(28-6) Saturday night in the main event of UFC 297 at Scotiabank Arena, in Toronto, Canada. After five extremely close rounds, the 30 year-old beat Strickland, 32, by a split decision (48-47, 47-48, 48-47), becoming South Africa's first world champion in the promotion.

Judges Derek Cleary and Eric Colon had Du Plessis winning the second, third and fourth rounds. Judge Sal D'Amato, the lone judge scoring it for Strickland, had the American winning the first, third and fifth rounds.

"When they said, 'and new,' it felt like 15 years of work, dreaming and sacrificing came together in one single sentence," Du Plessis said. "It was incredible, it feels surreal. Amazing."

Upon the scorecards being read, Du Plessis called for the South African flag.

"This is history," Du Plessis said in his postfight interview.

The new champion called Strickland's jab "super, super, super" good. "It feels like somebody hits you with a rock," he said. "It's very deceptive when he throws the jab, and he can turn it into a left hook. He does that really, really well."

On his part, Strickland posted on X that a headbutt during the fight caused the cut near his eye and made it difficult for him to see. Du Plessis said he didn't recall a clash of heads. Both men were bloody and banged up after the bout. Du Plessis came to the postfight news conference on crutches and with two swollen eyes.

"You remember how handsome I was before the fight?" Du Plessis said. "I look like a cauliflower now."

Commenting on the results, UFC CEO Dana White said in a postfight news conference, he thought Strickland won the hotly contested bout. Strickland actually landed more significant strikes, 173-137. "I had it 2-2 going into the last round and I thought Strickland won the last round," White said. "Guys who were sitting at the same table [as me] had it going the other way. ... But I'm also a guy who believes you have to take it from the champion."

Du Plessis said in the news conference that any thought that Strickland won was "bullshit."

The South African also called for a matchup against rival Israel Adesanya, who has said he will be taking time off from the Octagon.

Adesanya and Du Plessis had a confrontation in the cage in July. The two were supposed to fight in September, but Du Plessis suffered a foot injury. Du Plessis said fighting Adesanya at UFC 300 on April 13 "sounds amazing."

White said Du Plessis "absolutely, positively can be the guy" to headline the UFC's first card in Africa, which White and company have been working on for years.

Saturday marked the fourth straight UFC middleweight title fight in which the belt changed hands. Alex Pereira beat Adesanya in November 2022 and Adesanya won the title back from Pereira last April before dropping the title to Strickland last September. Du Plessis vs. Strickland was the first UFC middleweight title fight without Adesanya since November 2017.

During the postfight news conference last night, White also slammed a woke Canadian reporter who asked the UFC chief about his policy of allowing fighters like Strickland to speak their minds freely.

The reporter suggests that UFC gives fighters a "long leash" regarding what they can speak on, and that some fighters make "homophobic" and "transphobic" comments.

"Free speech...." White said. "I don't fucking tell any other human being what to say, what to think, and there's no leashes..."

WATCH the Dricus Du Plessis vs Sean Strickland fight highlights.