Dricus Du Plessis is gearing up for his first title defense at UFC 305, where he’ll face off against former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya. The South African sensation, known as ‘Stillknocks,’ made history at UFC 297 by becoming the first from his nation to claim a UFC title after a hard-fought battle with Sean Strickland. The two had also been involved in a brawl before the event at UFC 296 adding more intrigue to their eventual showdown.

With massive heat already between the pair, their fight at UFC 297 ended in a split-decision loss for Strickland. But for many fans in the MMA sphere, the question remained, ‘Was ‘Tarzan’ robbed of his title by the judge’s decision? Let’s explore what happened in the fight, the controversial decision and what prominent figures like UFC boss Dana White had to say about the closely contested bout!

Controversy during Sean Strickland vs. Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 297 

At UFC 297, Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis went to war over 5 rounds. Strickland’s jab was a constant throughout the fight, leaving Du Plessis with a swollen eye. Du Plessis responded by mixing in takedowns and relentlessly pressuring Strickland, keeping ‘Tarzan’ on his heels. ‘Stillknocks’ focused on not letting Strickland settle into his rhythm and run away with the fight.

When the dust settled and the scores were being read out, the judges’ scorecards reflected the narrow margin of victory in the fight. Two officials scored the fight 48-47 for Du Plessis. One judge favored Strickland with a 48-47 score. Just like the fight, the margin of victory was razor-thin.

Strickland however wasn’t happy with the judges decisions. He claimed that the only reason he lost his title was because of a cut he sustained due to an accidental clash of heads. And it left him dealing with the injury through the rest of the fight. The former champion posted on Instagram, sharing a video of the unnoticed ‘headbutt’ and a picture of his stitched-up eye.

‘Tarzan’ captioned the post, “I didn’t take the coward’s way out and tell the doctor I couldn’t see and got a no-contest… I won that fight, the world knows I won that fight. The belt they gave you will never make you a champion, enjoy.”

But Du Plessis wasn’t having any of it as he fired back by stating, “Why don’t you cry about it AGAIN.” The debate over the bout’s true winner extended beyond Du Plessis and Strickland’s back and forth. Speaking at the post-fight press conference, UFC boss Dana White confessed that he felt as though Strickland had done enough to secure the win even if other people watching the fight might not have shared his belief! 

Dana White reacts to questionable decision against Sean Strickland

The result of the UFC 297 middleweight title clash left fans, fighters and analysts divided in their opinions on who won the fight. According to information provided by MMA Decisions, a media scoring aggregator, the media opinion was almost split evenly between Dricus Du Plessis and Sean Strickland.

However, at the post-fight press conference, UFC CEO Dana White confessed that he believed that Strickland had done enough to retain his title. White shared that, “I had it 2-2 going into the last round and I thought that Strickland won the last round. Guys who were sitting at the same table had it the other way. It was a close fight.” The UFC boss also noted Strickland’s strong early rounds, with his jab playing a crucial role, but emphasized that the final round was extremely close, with both men pushing hard.

In the end, though, Dricus Du Plessis walked away from UFC 297 with a championship belt around his waist. Now, with his fight against Israel Adesanya looming, it remains to be seen if ‘Stillknocks’ can put all controversy about how he won the title to rest and give a dominant performance against ‘The Last Stylebender’.  Who did you think won the fight at UFC 297, Strickland or Du Plessis? What are your predictions for the UFC 305 middleweight title fight? Let us know in the comments below!