Dricus du Plessis mocks Sean Strickland for seemingly adding "staph infection to his arsenal" in recent fight weeks comparison post

UFC middleweight kingpin Dricus du Plessis will look to defend his title for a second time at UFC 312 in a rematch with former champ Sean Strickland. The two first locked horns nearly a year ago at UFC 297, with 'DDP' snatching the belt from 'Tarzan' via a close split-decision victory.

There's no love lost between the two, with both constantly throwing verbal jabs at each other online. On top of this, Strickland and du Plessis were involved in a violent altercation in the crowd at UFC 296, about a month before they first clashed. You can bet the two aren't sending each other postcards during Christmastime.

In a recent Instagram story, the champion made fun of his challenger's massive change in looks, compared to how he was in their first battle, saying:

"What? He grew taller and added staph infection to his arsenal.. O sh*t!"

Dricus du Plessis' IG story. [Image courtesy: @dricusduplessis on Instagram]

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Dricus du Plessis believes he has gotten better since first fight with Sean Strickland

Speaking of change, Dricus du Plessis may not have gone through a style overhaul, but he believes he's had a major level-up in skill since the first Sean Strickland clash. Looking at his lone fight since beating 'Tarzan' - a fourth-round submission of Israel Adesanya - you can tell that 'Stillknocks' is telling the truth.

The champion spoke more on this in an interview with Kevin Iole on YouTube, saying:

"I evolved, ever evolving, getting better every fight and this time I'm going to be even better. This time I'll be better than I was against Adesanya. That night, I did what I had to to win that fight.

Du Plessis added:

"The split decision was actually a shock to me because I don't think it was a split decision. I think it was a clear unanimous decision, but it was an amazing fight. It was a great fight."

With the outcome of their first bout a razor-close decision, du Plessis would want to have a definitive win over Strickland this time. If there's any sliver of truth in his words with Iole, the champion will notch another finish this weekend in Sydney, Australia.

Check out Dricus du Plessis' comments below (4:08):