Dricus Du Plessis shocks the MMA world with a controversial split decision victory over Sean Strickland at UFC 297. Read about this epic middleweight title fight and other exciting results from the event.
| Dricus Du Plessis took the middleweight title from Sean Strickland at UFC 297 on Saturday, beating the controversial American via split decision. Strickland won the belt from Israel Adesanya in September, in one of the biggest upsets in UFC history, but his first defence was an unsuccessful one. Du Plessis entered the main event on the back of a surprise TKO of former champion Robert Whittaker last July, and although the South African failed to replicate that explosive performance, he just did enough to emerge victorious. After five rounds, the judges’ scorecards read 48-47, 47-48, 48-47 in favour of Du Plessis, though the result could easily have gone the other way. In the co-main event, Raquel Pennington beat Mayra Bueno Silva via unanimous decision to win the vacant women’s bantamweight title. Re-live updates and see all the results from UFC 297 below. |
Dricus Du Plessis Claims Middleweight Title
Dricus Du Plessis shocked the MMA world by dethroning Sean Strickland at UFC 297 in a highly controversial split decision. Strickland, who had previously upset Israel Adesanya to win the belt, failed to defend it successfully against the South African.
Du Plessis’ Road to Victory
Du Plessis entered the main event with momentum on his side, following a stunning TKO victory over former champion Robert Whittaker. While he didn’t replicate that explosive performance, he did enough to secure the win.
Close Decision
After an intense five-round battle, the judges’ scorecards were split. Two judges scored the fight 48-47 in favor of Du Plessis, while the other judge scored it 47-48 for Strickland. The result could easily have gone either way, leaving fans and experts divided.
Raquel Pennington Claims Women’s Bantamweight Title
In the co-main event, Raquel Pennington emerged victorious against Mayra Bueno Silva, winning the vacant women’s bantamweight title via unanimous decision.
Full UFC 297 Results
| Fight | Winner | Loser |
|---|---|---|
| Dricus Du Plessis vs Sean Strickland | Dricus Du Plessis | Sean Strickland |
| Raquel Pennington vs Mayra Bueno Silva | Raquel Pennington | Mayra Bueno Silva |
Stay tuned for more updates and analysis from UFC 297.
