- Dricus Du Plessis defends his UFC middleweight title against Sean Strickland on Feb. 8 at UFC 312.
- Du Plessis defeated Strickland in their first meeting in January 2024 at UFC 297 via split decision.
- Du Plessis is the -210 betting favorite, while Strickland is the +170 betting underdog.
The championship rematch between reigning divisional king Dricus Du Plessis and No. 1-ranked contender Sean Strickland for the UFC middleweight title goes down on Feb. 8 for the main event UFC 312 inside the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia.
Du Plessis defeated Strickland in their first meeting in January 2024 at UFC 297 with a split decision. Because of this, Du Plessis heads into the match as the betting favorite with -210 UFC odds.
On the other hand, Strickland will be the +170 betting underdog at BetMGM’s online sportsbook despite winning his previous fight against Paulo Costa in June at UFC 302 via split decision.
Dricus Du Plessis vs. Sean Strickland 2 Odds
- Dricus Du Plessis: -210
- Sean Strickland: +170
Dricus Du Plessis vs. Sean Strickland 2: Prediction
I predict that Du Plessis will win via submission against Strickland and impose his superior grappling skills against him this time. This is also going to be an opportunity for the South African MMA superstar to squash all the doubts about his win from their first match.
Knowing that Strickland will come in hungry and looking for revenge, Du Plessis should use this to his advantage by luring him into a stand-up firefight before changing levels and maneuvering into a submission technique.
Du Plessis had moments during the first fight with his grappling, but wasn’t able to fully capitalize on it. This time, though, he needs to fully maximize this to neutralize Strickland’s constant forward pressure and potentially submit him.
On the other side of the octagon, Strickland needs to start early and force the action against the defending champion. This way, he will have more chances of catching him with his patented 1-2 punch combination and potentially scoring a TKO finish.
However, Du Plessis will likely exploit his grappling advantage against Strickland, much like he did with Israel Adesanya, to secure another successful championship defense and continue his reign in the 185-pound weight class.
TWO TITLES ON THE LINE IN SYDNEY 🤩
It's #UFC312 Fight Week!!
[ B2YB @CryptoCom ] pic.twitter.com/evixv0MjwX
— UFC (@ufc) February 3, 2025
Dricus Du Plessis Recent Fight Results
Du Plessis was a former EFC and KSW champion who accumulated an impressive MMA record of 14 wins and three losses before signing a contract with the UFC. He made his octagon debut in October 2020 and scored a first-round stoppage win over Markus Perez.
Then, “Stilknocks” went on to sweep his next seven fights under the promotion with notable wins over the likes of Darren Till, Derek Brunson, Robert Whittaker, Strickland, and Adesanya to become the undisputed UFC middleweight champion.
No judges needed in his first title defense 💪@DricusDuPlessis looks to make another statement at #UFC312! pic.twitter.com/FzBt90oDx9
— UFC (@ufc) February 3, 2025
Sean Strickland Recent Fight Results
Strickland is an 11-year UFC veteran who first competed under the promotion in October 2014 as a welterweight. He never found his footing in the 170-pound division because he had trouble cutting weight, so he moved up to the middleweight division.
Since his move to the 185-pound weight class in 2020, “Tarzan” has only dropped three fights, became a top contender in the division, and even became the division’s king in September 2023 when he unanimously beat Adesanya at UFC 293.
"YOU GUYS ARE F****** AWESOME" 😂
Safe to say @SStricklandMMA loves the people of Australia! #UFC312 pic.twitter.com/Wmr44mmLl8
— UFC (@ufc) February 3, 2025
Dricus Du Plessis vs. Sean Strickland 2: Tale of the Tape
| Dricus Du Plessis | Sean Strickland | |
|---|---|---|
| Age | 31 | 33 |
| Height | 6’1” | 6’1” |
| Reach | 76 inches | 76 inches |
| Leg Reach | 43 inches | 41.5 inches |
| Record | 22-2 | 29-6 |
| Fighting Style | MMA | MMA |
| Finishing Rate | 91% | 52% |
Dricus Du Plessis vs. Sean Strickland 2 Fight Card
- Dricus Du Plessis vs. Sean Strickland, UFC middleweight title fight
- Zhang Weili vs. Tatiana Suarez, UFC women’s strawweight title fight
- Justin Tafa vs. Tallison Teixeira, heavyweight fight
- Jimmy Crute vs. Rodolfo Bellato, light heavyweight fight
- Jake Matthews vs. Francisco Prado, welterweight fight
- Jack Jenkins vs. Gabriel Santos, featherweight fight
- Tom Nolan vs. Viacheslav Borshchev, lightweight fight
- Wang Cong vs. Bruna Brasil, women’s flyweight fight
- Colby Thicknesse vs. Aleksandre Topuria, bantamweight fight
- Jonathan Micallef vs. Kevin Jousset, welterweight fight
- Quillan Salkilld vs. Anshul Jubli, lightweight fight
- Hyunsung Park vs. Nyamjargal Tumendemberel, flyweight fight
