"Showed why he's a true champion" - Ex-UFC champ explains how Dricus du Plessis turned UFC 297 scrap against Sean Strickland in his favor
Former UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz believes Dricus du Plessis' takedowns won him the fight against Sean Strickland.
'Stillknocks' and 'Tarzan' faced off in the main event of UFC 297 this past weekend and fought a gruelling back-and-forth contest that went the distance. Both men had success throughout the fight, with Strickland once again using his jab and 'Philly shell' style to cause du Plessis problems.
Ultimately it wasn't enough, however, as the South African began to switch up his gameplan by mixing calf kicks and head kicks into his offense, as well as takedowns.
The fight was razor close, evidenced by the scorecards, as du Plessis clinched the split decision victory 48-47, 47-48, and 48-47.
The result appeared to split MMA fans down the middle, as it did the judges. However, Dominick Cruz has outlined what he believes ultimately led to du Plessis getting his hand raised.
Speaking on his Instagram, 'The Dominator' highlighted the adjustments du Plessis made throughout the fight:
"What really changed it up was the takedowns. Getting the takedowns, getting Strickland to having to guess whether the takedown was going to happen or not, which really opened up the striking for du Plessis. Also the stance switch, the calf kicks, he kept attacking the calf...He kept moving Strickland back and he would not let him [Strickland] move DDP backwards."
Cruz continued:
The forward pressure, the onslaught with big strikes, the kicks. DDP showed why he's a true champion as beating somebody like Strickland is no easy feat."
Catch Cruz's comments here:
Israel Adesanya reacts to Dricus du Plessis' callout
Following his victory over Sean Strickland, Dricus du Plessis got on the microphone and made his first callout as the middleweight champion.
'Stillknocks' took aim at Israel Adesanya and opted to reignite their rivalry, calling for him to return from his hiatus and face him next. He said:
"There is another guy, that tried to take my shine. He lost his shine, now I have your shine. You didn't get into the cage tonight but Israel Adesanya, get your a** back in the UFC so we can settle the score."
Check out du Plessis' callout here:
Reacting to the pay-per-view on his YouTube channel, 'The Last Stylebender' gave his thoughts on du Plessis' performance, as well as his callout:
"Now he [Dricus du Plessis] is the fourth African champion in UFC history. So congrats to you, my African brother, Dricus du Plessis... I'm actually legit happy for him, I actually like his story and whatnot, but he still did what he did, and I'm still gonna test that a**."
Catch Adesanya's reaction here (8:40):