Dricus Du Plessis vs. Sean Strickland Title Rematch Revealed for UFC 312 Fight Card
December 8, 2024
Dricus Du Plessis and Sean Strickland are set for a title rematch at UFC 312 on Feb. 8.
Strickland lost the title to Du Plessis earlier this year via split decision after winning the belt against Israel Adesanya in September 2023.
UFC @ufcWe're taking TWO title fights down under 🦘🏆<a href="https://twitter.com/dricusduplessis?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DricusDuPlessis</a> vs <a href="https://twitter.com/SStricklandMMA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SStricklandMMA</a> 2<br>Zhang WeilI vs <a href="https://twitter.com/tatianaufc?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TatianaUFC</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UFC312?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#UFC312</a> | 🎟️ Tickets on sale next week! <a href="https://t.co/OotLiAGBCq">pic.twitter.com/OotLiAGBCq</a>
Along with the title rematch, Zhang Weili will defend the Women's Strawweight title against the undefeated Tatiana Suarez in the co-main event.
Ahead of UFC 305, Du Plessis has successfully defended his title once, defeating former champion Adesanya in August via submission in the fourth round. The 30-year-old middleweight from South Africa boasts a professional record of 22-2, including nine wins by TKO and 11 by submission.
In October, Du Plessis expressed his desire to face the undefeated contender Khamzat Chimaev instead of a rematch with Strickland, a fight UFC CEO Dana White had suggested earlier in the year.
It was Chimaev's first-round victory over Robert Whittaker at the end of October that fueled Du Plessis' desire to face the 14-0 rising superstar.
"The conversations [have been] more about me fighting Strickland," Du Plessis told ESPN, per Brett Okamoto. "But there was a very big reason no contracts have been signed, and I'm saying this as an opinion. I agreed that I'll fight Strickland, perfect -- and that's the fight the fans want. But if you go on what the fans want right now, it's definitely not the Strickland fight.
His desire to fight Chimaev was also driven by the support and input from fans.
"If you ask what I want, I want to fight the best guy. I want to fight the guy the fans want me to fight. And that's 100 percent Khamzat," per Okamoto.
Despite his pleas, the title rematch is officially scheduled between the two veterans.
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