Dricus du Plessis faces Sean Strickland in a rematch headlining UFC 312, live from Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia on February 8 (ET). The contest features the current middleweight champion from South Africa against the former 185-pound titleholder from Anaheim, California.
The two fighters run it back following their first fight last January at UFC 297 in Toronto, Ontario. Battling it out in the main event, Strickland (29-6) put the middleweight title on the line after dethroning Israel Adesanya in his previous outing. Du Plessis (22-2) entered the UFC Octagon riding an eight-fight winning streak after claiming victory in a title eliminator against former champion Robert Whittaker.
The scheduled five-round contest went the full distance. Du Plessis walked away with the win and became the new champion, defeating Strickland by split decision with the scores 48-47, 48-47, and 47-48.
In his next fight last August, Du Plessis successfully retained his belt, submitting Israel Adesanya in the fourth round. Strickland returned to his winning ways last June, taking a split decision against Paulo Costa.
Squaring off atop UFC 312 on Saturday in Sydney, Du Plessis defends his title for the second time, while Strickland looks to take revenge and become a two-time champion.