Dricus du Plessis gets honest about why he could not finish Sean Strickland in their first fight: "It wasn't for a lack of trying"

Dricus du Plessis still respects Sean Strickland, as proven by his comments regarding why he couldn't finish 'Tarzan' in their first fight. According to du Plessis, Strickland performed admirably, dismissing any criticism that the reigning champion did not give his all.

After a winning streak of six fights in the promotion, which included notable victories over former champion Robert Whittaker and Darren Till, du Plessis finally received the opportunity to challenge for the middleweight title. In the main event of UFC 297 last year, du Plessis faced then-champion Strickland, who was making his first title defense.

Du Plessis displayed his tenacity over a hard-fought five rounds and was declared winner via split decision, becoming the new undisputed champion. However, the South African faced criticism as many, including UFC CEO Dana White, believed Strickland won the fight.

In a recent conversation with McKenzie Pavacich on ESPN MMA's YouTube channel ahead of the Strickland rematch at UFC 312 this weekend, du Plessis opened up about his first encounter with the American. The 31-year-old revealed why he couldn't finish Strickland, saying:

''He [Strickland] was just too good. It wasn't for a lack of trying you could see that. I was showing everything. He was really good and I think the pace was so high in that fight but I only started pushing the pace later in the fight where I should have and now I know I can start pushing that pace from the with get go. But you know defensively Sean Strickland is one of the best fighters in the world, he's really good at that...he prioritizes defense over offense.''

Check out Dricus du Plessis' comments below (4:43):

After capturing the 185-pound belt in controversial fashion, du Plessis silenced his critics when he defeated former champion Israel Adesanya in his first title defense at UFC 305, becoming the first fighter to submit 'The Last Stylebender.'

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Dricus du Plessis says he wanted to face Khamzat Chimaev instead of Sean Strickland

After a dominant first-round submission victory over Robert Whittaker at UFC 308, Khamzat Chimaev made a compelling case for himself as a potential challenger for du Plessis' middleweight title. The UFC, however, scheduled Sean Strickland to face Dricus du Plessis at UFC 312.

In the aforementioned interview with ESPN MMA, du Plessis revealed that he wanted to take on Chimaev, saying:

''I was rallying for the Khamzat [Chimaev] fight, just because it was [a case of trying to] strike while the iron is hot. The hype was there - it would have been good for all of us...I would have preferred the Khamzat fight - I think he deserved it more even though he didn't have as many fights." [H/t: ESPN]