UFC 297: Sean Strickland vs. Dricus du Plessis: Full video highlights
Sean Strickland and Dricus du Plessis clashed in the UFC 297 main event for the middleweight title. The event took place on Jan. 20 and the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Canada served as the venue.
In his last UFC outing, 'Tarzan' scored the biggest victory of his professional MMA career as he dominated Israel Adesanya for the majority of their five-round fight at UFC 293 and beat him via unanimous decision. All three judges scored the contest 49-46 in favor of Strickland.
Prior to that, the 32-year-old scored two back-to-back victories against Nassourdine Imavov and Abus Magomedov.
Du Plessis, on the other hand, was undefeated in the UFC and on a six-fight winning streak before UFC 297. 'Stillknocks' defeated the likes of Derek Brunson and Darren Till during his UFC run. In his last fight, the South African finished former UFC champion Robert Whittaker via second-round TKO which resulted in him getting a shot at middleweight gold.
Check out the two UFC 297 headliners making their way to the arena below:
UFC light heavyweight champion and Strickland's former opponent Alex Pereira was present in the locker room as 'Tarzan' was warming up for the fight. The Brazilian was also a part of the champion's corner team for the main event.
Both fighters traded shots in the first round but 'Stilknocks' changed levels and proceeded to score a takedown.
The round ended with the champion landing a heavy blow on the South African.
As the fight progressed, Strickland started putting his jab to good use.
In the fourth round, 'Stillknocks' used his grappling prowess to score multiple takedowns and started getting the better of his opponent on the feet.
Both athletes left it all in the octagon as the championship bout went the full five-round distance.
Eventually, UFC 297 ended with 'Stillknocks' capturing the middleweight title via split decision. The three judges scored the contest 48-47, 47-48, 48-47 in favor of the South African.