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The stage is ready and UFC 312 will probably be capped-off by a rematch for the Middleweight Championship as we bring you our betting prediction and pick. Champion Dricus Du Plessis of South Africa will face former champion and No. 1 contender Sean Strickland of america because the two settle their bad blood. Check the UFC odds series for our Du Plessis-Strickland prediction and pick.
Dricus Du Plessis (22-2) has gone an ideal 8-0 en path to becoming UFC Champion and can make his second title defense. He defeated Strickland via split decision to realize the belt after which famously defended against Israel Adesanya. Now, he’ll see Strickland over again to settle what was a murky lead to their first meeting. Du Plessis stands 6-foot-1 with a 76-inch reach.
Sean Strickland (29-6) has gone 16-6 with the UFC since 2014. After losing his first ever title defense to Du Plessis, Strickland bounced back with a powerful split decision victory over Paulo Costa most recently. He’s intent on settling this bad blood as he feels he was robbed on the scorecards during his first fight with the present champion. Strickland stands 6-foot-1 with a 76-inch reach.
Listed below are the UFC 312 Odds, courtesy of DraftKings.
UFC 312 Odds: Dricus Du Plessis-Sean Strickland Odds
Dricus Du Plessis: -198
Sean Strickland: +164
Over 4.5 rounds: -200
Under 4.5 rounds: +154
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Why Dricus Du Plessis Will Win
- Last Fight: (W) Irael Adesanya – SUB (rear naked choke, R4)
- Last 5: 5-0
- Finishes: 9 KO/TKO, 11 SUB
Dricus Du Plessis comes into this fight solidifying his position as champion after wearing down Israel Adesanya and eventually ending the fight with a submission win. It was easily the hardest fight of his profession so far together with his awkward and imposing style matchup up well against Adesanya that day. It’s value noting that Du Plessis had a far more difficult time coping with the equally awkward variety of Sean Strickland, so it’ll be interesting to see what adjustments are made ahead of this second meeting.
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The positive is that Du Plessis has taken a giant step forward since becoming champion when it comes to his confidence and planning ahead of fights. He pins his power up against anyone within the division and he knows he’s able to resist more damage than his opponent. While he wasn’t capable of get much of his wrestling getting into the primary fight, I expect Du Plessis to be far more aggressive with grappling and clinching during this one as he knows he can win the fight on the bottom.
Why Sean Strickland Will Win
- Last Fight: (W) Paulo Costa – S DEC
- Last 5: 4-1
- Finishes: 11 KO/TKO, 4 SUB
Sean Strickland looked a step slower against Paulo Costa in his last fight, but it surely’s comprehensible he modified his game plan to account for the facility shots coming back his way and respecting Costa’s striking. Strickland doesn’t have nearly as much respect for the striking of Du Plessis and we saw him march his opponent down during their first meeting. While Strickland is greater than willing to eat a punch, he could also be far more defensive this time around to assist aid in optics if this fights sees one other decision.
Still, Strickland’s “Philly shell” variety of boxing is actually a bonus given Du Plessis’ tendency to increase his punches and lean forward into them. If Strickland is capable of remain patient and never over-extend himself, he should find a way to land essential counter shots throughout this fight. With a 77% takedown defense throughout his profession, we saw Strickland dictate where this fight took place in the primary meeting, so expect much of the identical during this second time around.
Final Dricus Du Plessis-Sean Strickland Prediction & Pick
This will probably be a really interesting matchup given how close the primary fight was. Many argued that Strickland managed to be the more aggressive fighter through the first meeting, but it surely was Du Plessis who landed more damage and was more convincing together with his offense.
I expect much of the same fight this time around and neither fighter will probably be pressed to have interaction the grappling exchanges. If we see one other kickboxing fight, it actually favors the activity and output coming from Strickland over five rounds.
Still, Dricus Du Plessis is fighting in his absolute prime in the mean time and he already has the formula for beating Strickland in such a fight. Nevertheless, I consider Strickland is far more intent this time around and won’t stop coming forward until the ultimate bell. I believe we see one other close decision, but this time it’ll be the challenger that comes out on top by a slim margin.
Final Dricus Du Plessis-Sean Strickland Prediction & Pick: Sean Strickland (+164)
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