Sean Strickland vs Dricus du Plessis Preview and Prediction

With UFC 297 right around the corner, we’ve got an exciting title fight to look forward to. This weekend, for the first time in a long time, we have a middleweight title fight going down that doesn’t include Israel Adesanya. Sean Strickland was able to pull off one of the biggest upsets in recent memory as he handily defeated ‘The Last Stylebender’ at UFC 293. His awkward style and perpetual forward motion made that night a nightmare for the former champion, who has since been inactive.

Strickland will be taking on the surging Dricus du Plessis. ‘Stillknocks’ has a 95% finishing rate and has not tasted defeat since 2018. How do we see this fight going? It’s a tricky one - let’s dive into it.

In a perfect world to hear “and still”, we know that Strickland will want to fight off of his front foot, let those hands go and do everything in his power to make this a boxing match.

For the challenger, he’s going to want to pressure, earn some respect on the feet, and if not take the fight down then at least establish the threat of a takedown to open up his striking. This fight has all the potential in the world to be a banger, but odds are, it won’t be the prettiest; both fighters have a penchant for letting things get a bit sloppy. When Sean gets sloppy, it’s usually from him trying to force a finish. When du Plessis gets sloppy, it’s usually when he’s trying to get some momentum back.

This fight really could go either way, and as of right now, the champion is sitting around the neighborhood of being a -130 favorite. For us, we’re thinking that the underdog finds a way to get things done. Dricus du Plessis has been in trouble a few times in the UFC, and arguably against fighters he should’ve ran through - but, he’s always found a way to get the job done. After making relatively easy work of former champon, Robert Whittaker, perhaps he’s now patched those holes in his game. We’re riding with Dricus du Plessis by decision.