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Dricus Du Plessis vs Sean Strickland 2 Preview & Picks – DDP To Retain Middleweight Title At UFC 312
- Dricus Du Plessis vs Sean Strickland 2 picks for Saturday, February 8
- UFC 312 is taking place at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia
- Preview, predictions, stats & form
Dricus Du Plessis (Getty Images)
- Dricus Du Plessis vs Sean Strickland 2 Preview & Picks
- Head To Head
- Dricus Du Plessis Form
- Sean Strickland Form
Dricus Du Plessis vs Sean Strickland 2 Preview & Picks
Dricus Du Plessis vs Sean Strickland 2 Preview & Picks
Dricus Du Plessis is tipped to retain the middleweight title by decision.
DDP is expected to close the distance, fight inside and constantly pursue the takedown.
That worked in the first meeting and is backed to be Du Plessis' blueprint to victory in the rematch too.
- Dricus Du Plessis is on a 10-fight win streak
- Sean Strickland has lost 4 of his previous 7 fights
- Dricus Du Plessis beat Sean Strickland on points last year
- 4 of Sean Strickland’s 6 career defeats have been via decision
Head To Head
- Dricus Du Plessis won by split decision when the two men last fought in January 2024
Dricus Du Plessis Form
Dricus Du Plessis is the current UFC middleweight champion with a professional record of 22-2 (9 KOs, 11 Subs).
Du Plessis signed with the UFC in 2020 while boasting a 14-2 record, and he wasted little time in making an impact.
He took out Markus Perez with strikes in the first round of his debut, before knocking out Trevin Giles in the second round of his sophomore outing.
The 31-year-old South African then earned a unanimous decision win over Brad Tavares, before submitting Darren Till in the third round.
Du Plessis fought twice in 2023 and continued his charge into title contention with a second-round stoppage of Derek Brunson.
That set up a title eliminator showdown with Robert Whittaker that year, and DDP secured a shot at the middleweight crown with a second-round knockout success.
His title opportunity then came in January of last year and he was able to dethrone Sean Strickland via split decision.
Du Plessis then fought one more time last year, making a successful first defence as he sensationally submitted Israel Adesanya in the fourth round.
Sean Strickland Form
Sean Strickland is the current #1 ranked middleweight contender with a career record of 29-6 (11 KOs, 4 Subs).
Strickland first debuted in the UFC back in March 2014, and spent much of that time fighting at welterweight before moving back to middleweight in October 2020.
His return to 185lbs coincided in the best run of his UFC career so far, as he reeled off six consecutive victories.
‘Tarzan’ saw his run come to a shuddering halt in July 2022 though, as he was knocked out in the first round by Alex Pereira.
Strickland then suffered a split decision defeat to Jared Cannonier, before rebounding with a decision win over Nassourdine Imavov at light-heavyweight.
He followed that up with a second-round knockout of Abusupiyan Magomedov in the 205lb division, before dropping back down to middleweight for a surprise title shot.
The 33-year-old American shocked the world as he dethroned Israel Adesanya on points, but he failed to make a successful defence.
Strickland lost the title via split decision to Dricus Du Plessis in January 2024, but rebounded last June with a split decision success against Paulo Costa.
Verdict
Nobody has been able to solve the Dricus Du Plessis puzzle since he arrived in the UFC.
His mix of power, aggression and grappling has propelled in to the top of the middleweight division, and we expect it to keep DDP there at UFC 312.
His mix of power, aggression and grappling has propelled in to the top of the middleweight division, and we expect it to keep DDP there at UFC 312.
Dricus Du Plessis
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