"He wanted it more” - Robert Whittaker points to Dricus du Plessis’ hunger as a deciding factor in his victory over Sean Strickland

Dricus du Plessis was crowned the new middleweight champion after defeating Sean Strickland via split decision at UFC 297. The pair clashed in the main event and went to war for all five rounds.

After the decision was announced, fans and fighters alike took to the internet to share their scorecards for the bout. The fight's competitive nature was reflected in the public consensus, with some awarding Strickland the fight whilst others felt that 'Stillknocks' had won.

Former UFC champion Robert Whittaker has now shared his thoughts on the fight, and believes that the South African deserved to be given the win. 'The Reaper' pointed to du Plessis' tenacity and desire as the deciding factor in the fight.

During a recent episode of the MMArcade Podcast, Whittaker said this:

"I will say congratulations to [Dricus du Plessis] because, mate, he wanted it... He's a big strong guy, and he's awkward as hell to fight. One of his things is, he goes out on his shield. He's not gonna go away, he will not give up. He will need to leave that octagon on a stretcher. Mate, that's exactly what he did. That's exactly what he showed."

He continued:

"He wanted it more, and everyone thought in the championship rounds, four and five, Strickland would start getting it over him. Dricus did not go away."

Listen to Robert Whittaker's comments about Dricus du Plessis below (11:40):

---

Dricus du Plessis would love to face Israel Adesanya, but unsure of a possible fight date right now

Dricus du Plessis became the first South African champion in promotional history after defeating Sean Strickland at UFC 297.

'Stillknocks' extended his unbeaten record in the promotion to 7-0 with his title victory, and given his history with former champion Israel Adesanya, speculation around their potential clash is growing.

Following his win over Strickland, du Plessis appeared in front of the media, where he was asked about possibly facing Israel Adesanya next. Given that UFC 300 is yet to have an official main event, the South African was also asked if he would be able to return by April, when the pay-per-view occurs.

He said this:

"I don't want to put a timeline on [the fight] but UFC 300 sounds amazing... It's not personal at all. That's just the fight the fans want to see. I want to fight the best competition... The fans want to see Israel Adesanya vs. Dricus du Plessis. There's a lot of hype that was already built on it."

Listen to Dricus du Plessis' comments below (1:18:05):