Sean Strickland of the United States fights against Dricus Du Plessis of South Africa in a middleweight title bout during the UFC 297 event at Scotiabank Arena on January 20, 2024 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)
South African mixed martial artist Dricus du Plessis became the country’s first UFC Champion after he defeated Sean Strickland on Sunday morning.
The South African won by a split decision in front of a Canadian crowd that was fiercely behind his opponent.
Du Plessis has been focused this entire week, throughout the UFC’s media day and press conference, barely even offering a smirk to the cameras. He only had one intention for this week and that was to leave Toronto with a belt around his waist.
However, the buildup to this fight has not been all that smooth for either fighter. At the UFC’s seasonal press conference in December, Strickland threw insults at Du Plessis and his coach. The South African did not take too well to it and commented on Strickland’s childhood trauma, which seemed to remove any respect the athletes might have had for each other.
Strickland has revealed on numerous podcasts in the past that he and his mother suffered constant physical abuse by his father when he was growing up.
But it didn’t stop there. The verbal jabs eventually turned into a physical altercation at UFC 296 in December, when the fighters were sitting close to each other in the crowd. Strickland jumped over a row of seats to get to Du Plessis, starting a brawl which saw both fighters escorted out of the arena.
At that point, it seemed as if the animosity between them meant that spectators were in for a grudge match on Sunday, which is always interesting from a fan perspective.
It created the feeling that fans had during the John Jones and Daniel Cormier rivalry or even the one between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor. While it’s not too pretty for the sport, the drama definitely brings more eyes to the fight.
The two fighters have since cleared the air and put their differences aside.
Strickland and Du Plessis confirmed that the former had reached out to Du Plessis after the fracas in December and they managed to settle their differences and rekindle the respect that they once had for each other.
Strickland revealed that he sent Du Plessis a message on Instagram and apologised for the comments he had made about him and his coach but warned the South African not to cross the line again by commenting on his childhood or he would “stab him”.
In response, Du Plessis told the media this week that Strickland had threatened to attack him if he mentioned it again, and he was not going to do so, as he felt he had already won the game of mental warfare.
“He said if there’s anything he shouldn’t say, he’ll lay back, but if I bring up anything with his childhood again, he said, ‘I’ll kill you and ruin your life and mine way before we step into the cage,’ something like that. That’s exactly his words.
“So, I’m like, okay, this poor guy. This seems serious. I feel bad for him. I just replied and said, ‘Listen, there’s nothing you can say that has any effect on me. Go crazy.’
“The last press conference was winning on the mic. That was winning with Sean Strickland at his own game. Right now, this week, where we’re at, I’m not here to do that. I’m here to be the middleweight champion of the world. My focus is on fighting, not making jokes,” Du Plessis said.
The pair were true to their word at Thursday night’s pre-fight press conference and kept it respectful. They shook hands and agreed to fight to the death inside the cage.
They absolutely did that as both men drew blood from each other in an absolute war.
Du Plessis told the Mail & Guardian in October that his goal for 2023 was to be the UFC middleweight champion but that did not pan out due to matchmaking issues.
“The goal for 2023 has just been postponed. I’m not going to sit around and wait for six months or a year. I’m not taking a break from the sport. I need to get that belt. I have goals, dreams and a legacy to build,” Du Plessis said during that interview.
Du Plessis called out former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya in his post-fight interview as he now aims to beat all top contenders in the division.