Du Plessis edges Strickland, wins UFC middleweight title

TORONTO - The UFC middleweight belt is heading to South Africa.

Dricus Du Plessis defeated Sean Strickland via split decision (47-48, 48-47, 48-47) to become the new 185-pound champion in the UFC 297 main event Saturday night at Scotiabank Arena.

Du Plessis relied on several tools - power punching, his aggressiveness, and a bit of wrestling, too - to edge out the former champ throughout the 25-minute battle.

"I felt the first few rounds were give and take," Du Plessis said in his postfight interview. "But the last two rounds I knew. ... Who says this guy isn't a five-round fighter? What did I tell you?"

Du Plessis immediately targeted his next opponent after the victory: former two-time champion Israel Adesanya. Du Plessis was expected to challenge Adesanya for the belt last year but was unable to accept the fight due to injury. Strickland went on to dethrone Adesanya in September instead.

"There's another guy who tried to take my shine," Du Plessis said. "He lost his shine and now I have the shine. Israel Adesanya, get your ass back in the UFC so we can settle the score."

Du Plessis-Strickland was competitive for all five rounds. Strickland, one of the best boxers in the UFC, took an early lead by establishing his jab. But Du Plessis, an unorthodox fighter with a lot of knockout power, began to find his range more often in the second round, pressuring Strickland and landing hard punches.

Following a narrow third round that saw Du Plessis and Strickland go back and forth on the feet, Du Plessis easily won the fourth. The new champ walked forward, bloodied Strickland with strikes, and secured multiple takedowns.

Strickland turned up the heat in Round 5, tagging Du Plessis with punches and shrugging off a takedown attempt. But it still wasn't enough for the American. Du Plessis and Strickland made it to the final horn after the last 15 seconds turned into somewhat of a slugfest. And in the end, the difference-maker was Du Plessis' power.

"I tried to kill you tonight," Du Plessis said to Strickland. "Didn't quite get there. But you are one hell of a fighter. ... It was an honor to share the cage with you."

Du Plessis is the first South African-born champion in UFC history and the second African-born middleweight champion after Adesanya. Du Plessis moved to 7-0 in the UFC and is now riding a nine-fight winning streak overall. Du Plessis' most recent defeat came back in 2018 on the regional circuit in Europe.

"Stillknocks" knocked out former champ Robert Whittaker last July to set up the eventual title fight at UFC 297.

Strickland was attempting to defend the middleweight title for the first time after stunning Adesanya with a lopsided decision victory at UFC 293 in Sydney, Australia. Strickland's three-fight winning streak came to an end.