Was Sean Strickland robbed by Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 297?

Dricus Du Plessis is preparing for his first title defense at UFC 305, where he will face former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya. The South African sensation, known as “Stillknocks,” made history at UFC 297 by becoming the first from his country to win a UFC title after a hard-fought battle with Sean Strickland. The two were also involved in a brawl prior to the event at UFC 296, adding even more tension to their eventual showdown.

Although things were already heated between the two, their fight at UFC 297 ended in a split decision loss for Strickland. But for many fans in the MMA space, the question remained: “Was 'Tarzan' stripped of his title by the judge's decision?” Let's dig into what happened in the fight, the controversial decision, and what prominent figures like UFC boss Dana White had to say about the hard-fought fight!

Controversy during Sean Strickland vs. Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 297

At UFC 297, Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis engaged in a 5-round battle. Strickland's jab was a constant throughout the fight, leaving Du Plessis with a swollen eye. To counteract this constant pressure, the South African mixed in his takedowns and applied relentless pressure to keep “Tarzan” on his toes. Not letting Strickland rest was key to Du Plessis' game plan.

When the dust settled and the scores were read out, the judges' scorecards reflected the narrow victory of the fight. Two of the officials scored the fight 48-47 in favour of Du Plessis, while one judge gave the favour to Strickland with a score of 48-47!

But according to Strickland, the only reason he lost his title was because of a cut he sustained in an accidental clash of heads, which forced him to play through the rest of the fight with the injury. In a post on Instagram, the former champion shared a video of the unnoticed “headbutt” and a picture of his stitched eye.

Strickland gave the article the headline: “I didn't take the cowardly route and tell the doctor I couldn't see and get a no-show… I won that fight, the world knows I won that fight. The belt they gave you will never make you a champion, have fun.”

But Du Plessis didn’t want to hear any of it and countered with the words: “Why don’t you cry about it AGAIN?” The debate over who should have won the fight wasn't just limited to Du Plessis and Strickland. According to UFC boss Dana White, he felt Strickland did enough to secure the win, but not everyone in the MMA scene agreed with him!

Dana White reacts to questionable decision against Sean Strickland

The result of the middleweight title fight at UFC 297 left fans, fighters and analysts divided in their opinions on who won the fight. According to MMA Decisions, a media scoring aggregator, media opinion was almost evenly split between Dricus Du Plessis and Sean Strickland.

However, at the post-fight press conference, UFC CEO Dana White admitted that he thought Strickland had done enough to defend his title. White said, “I was tied 2-2 in the last round and thought Strickland had won the last round. For the guys sitting at the same table, it was the other way around. It was a close fight.” The UFC boss further announced that Strickland is looking for “Great” in the early rounds and his jab was the key factor in the fight. But he stressed that it was an extremely close fight until the last round, with both men determined to “Turn it up a little louder.”

In the end, however, Dricus Du Plessis left UFC 297 with a championship belt around his waist. Now, with his fight against Israel Adesanya looming, it remains to be seen if “Stillknocks” can put all the controversy surrounding how he won the title to rest and put on a dominant performance against “The Last Stylebender.” Who do you think won the fight at UFC 297, Strickland or Du Plessis? What are your predictions for the middleweight title fight at UFC 305? Let us know in the comments below!