Dricus Du Plessis thinks he has idea what the UFC will do with Sean Strickland after he fell short of their rematch.
Strickland (29-7 MMA, 16-7 UFC) didn’t recapture the middleweight title from Du Plessis (23-2 MMA, 9-0 UFC) on Saturday with a unanimous decision loss within the UFC 312 essential event. The result pushes him far-off from the title picture, and meaning matchmaking gets trickier.
Du Plessis thinks the following move for Strickland is a no brainer, and it must be a rematch with fellow former champ Israel Adesanya, who also had his place as a contender diminished with a second-round knockout loss to Nassourdine Imavov at UFC Fight Night 250.
“I do know what’s going to occur next,” Du Plessis told reporters post-fight at UFC 312. “I can almost guarantee you what’s happening next: Is there any bets that he’s fighting Adesanya next? I just considered that. … I believe the Adesanya rematch can be amazing. That’s what’s going to occur. It’s going to be a Fight Night essential event. I comprehend it.”
Strickland defeated Adesanya (24-5 MMA, 13-5 UFC) by unanimous decision in his lone UFC title victory at UFC 293 in September 2023. He went on to drop the strap to Du Plessis in his first defense, and Du Plessis submitted Adesanya in August to kick off his title reign in a positive manner before beating Strickland again within the rematch.
For more on the cardboard, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 312.
Remember to visit the MMA Junkie Instagram page and YouTube channel to debate this and more content with fans of mixed martial arts.
