UFC middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis was far superior to Sean Strickland in their rematch.
Du Plessis defeated Strickland via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 49-46) to retain his title in the UFC 312 main event Saturday night at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia.
The 31-year-old South African took the title from Strickland with a narrow split-decision win at UFC 297 in January 2024. His second victory over Strickland was much more dominant than the first, as he stayed busier and landed more effective strikes throughout the fight.
Du Plessis called Strickland an "absolute animal" for making it to the judges' scorecards.
"When I come in here, I'm trying to knock this man out," Du Plessis said in his postfight interview. "To knock him out is next to impossible. I would've loved another round, but that's the game. I told you I wanted a submission, a knockout, or an absolutely domination of a five-rounder. That's what I gave. I gave it my all."
Du Plessis remained undefeated in the Octagon, lifting his record to 9-0. He tied Movsar Evloev for the third-longest active winning streak in the UFC (nine). Du Plessis also tied Chris Weidman for the third-longest winning streak in UFC middleweight history, trailing only Anderson Silva (13) and Israel Adesanya (12).
"I am a top-three pound-for-pound fighter as of tonight, and I'm coming for that No. 1 spot," Du Plessis said.
Du Plessis had a strong start in Saturday's main event, outworking Strickland on the feet, and he controlled most of the fight. Du Plessis mixed up his arsenal well, landing several kicks to the head and body. He connected with a spinning elbow in the third round.
Du Plessis topped Strickland 147-128 in significant strikes, according to UFC Stats. He was also credited with one takedown on two attempts.
The biggest moment of the fight for Du Plessis came in the fourth round when he damaged Strickland's nose with a punch. Du Plessis pressured Strickland and sought a finish, but Strickland fended off the attack.
"The game plan here was stay calm," Du Plessis said of hurting Strickland. "(My coach) said, 'Dricus, we know you can knock somebody out. We know you have that dog. Try and stay calm.' It was really hard once I saw him grabbing at his nose."
Du Plessis continued to pick Strickland apart on the feet in the fifth round to seal the judges' decision.
Du Plessis has now defended the belt twice since dethroning Strickland 13 months ago. He submitted former champ Adesanya in his first defense at UFC 305 last August.
UFC CEO Dana White said Du Plessis' next fight could be against undefeated middleweight Khamzat Chimaev. However, Du Plessis appeared to target light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira, who was in Strickland's corner, after the victory.
"Since he's standing across the Octagon, 'Is there no one else? Is there no one else?'" Du Plessis said.
Strickland secured the rematch with Du Plessis by defeating Paulo Costa last June. The 33-year-old is now 1-2 in his last three outings.
Strickland shocked Adesanya to win the 185-pound title in September 2023 and then lost the belt to Du Plessis in his first defense.
