Strength and conditioning – that will be a key factor in the UFC 312 main event between middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis and Sean Strickland. many give the edge to the American star in that department, but the champion’s latest social media post shows he’s leaving no stone unturned. The last time the duo met, it was ‘DDP’ who took home the title after a close encounter at UFC 297. Du Plessis got a split nod to take the 185-pound title from Strickland. However, this time, he is looking for a finish instead.

Taking to his Instagram account, the South African fighter shared a picture of himself with his jacked-up physique. In the caption to the post, he announced his intention of going for a finish rather than relying on the judge’s scorecard, as he wrote, “Ready to kill or be killed. Fight week is finally here!”

Du Plessis had a reputation for gassing out in the later rounds. But that changed after the surgery he had back in April 2023. His coach Morne Visser once explained that Du Plessis was able to get “only 8% oxygen” through his nostrils before the surgery. In his first fight after the procedure, he secured a shocking KO win over Robert Whittaker at UFC 290. Still, Strickland’s cardio might be slightly better.

It is worth noting that his win against Strickland was considered a controversial one, as many fans believed it was ‘Tarzan’ who dominated the fight in Canada. However, both fighters have proved their mettle by finding success in their fights in 2024. ‘Stillknocks’ managed to keep his title run going by submitting Israel Adesanya, while Sean Strickland outperformed Paulo Costa, setting up his grudge fight against the South African in Australia. This time, ‘Tarzan’ too would be coming with a knockout in his mind.

After all, Sean Strickland has been finding his way back to the middleweight throne that he once claimed, and many fans too believe that he was wronged in his UFC 297 fight. So, as soon as Dricus Du Plessis uploaded his Instagram post, they predicted the outcome of the fight in the comments. Who will rule the Octagon in the rematch as per fans? Let’s find out!

Who takes UFC 312 – Dricus Du Plessis’ “plot armor” or Sean Strickland’s durability?

As soon as the middleweight champion of the UFC uploaded the picture, fans were quick to give their predictions for the fight. Like UFC 297, many fans expected Dricus Du Plessis’ plot armor to run supreme, as they wrote how the champion will be able to retain the title by sheer luck. They wrote, “Bros either gonna destroy or win by another robbery,” “DDP by plot armor, and a little bit of this and a little bit of that,” and “Dricus by Looney Tunes tomfoolery.”

It is worth noting that in their first fight, Dricus Du Plessis scored six takedowns that may have contributed to his victory. However, would he be able to do that again for yet another title retention? Not according to Sean Strickland’s fans. According to them, ‘Tarzan’ is coming to the fight with vengeance in mind, and there will be no stopping him, as they shared, “Strickland by whatever he wants,” “Strickland’s easily knocking him out this time,” and “Sean’s gonna hear AND NEWWW.”

If ‘Stillknocks’ manages to retain the title, that does not guarantee an easy path ahead. Khamzat Chimaev has let the fight world know that he is the next in line and will take away Du Plessis’ title the moment he gets a fight against him. As a result, many fans dropped his name in the comments, reminding the South African fighter of the major challenge that awaits him even after he wins the fight against ‘Tarzan.’ The fans said, “Khamzat is coming,” “Only Khamzat will be immune to his plot armor,” and “Can’t wait for Khamzat Chimaev to take away his title.” Well, it looks like fans truly are excited for the fight. But who do you think will win? Let us know in the comments.