Dricus Du Plessis defeated Sean Strickland via split decision (47-48, 48-47, 48-47) to become the new 185-pound champion in the UFC 297 main event Saturday night at Scotiabank Arena.
“I felt the first few rounds were give and take,” Du Plessis said in his postfight interview. “But the last two rounds I knew. … Who says this guy isn’t a five-round fighter? What did I tell you?”
Du Plessis immediately targeted his next opponent: former two-time champion Israel Adesanya. Du Plessis was expected to challenge Adesanya for the belt in 2023 but was unable to accept the fight due to injury. Strickland went on to dethrone Adesanya last September instead.