"They've already had their round one" - UFC champion shares final verdict on Sean Strickland vs. Dricus du Plessis title fight at UFC 297

A UFC titleholder has broken down the much-awaited Sean Strickland vs. Dricus du Plessis showdown. Reigning UFC middleweight champion Strickland is booked to defend his title against du Plessis in the main event of UFC 297 on Jan. 20, 2024.

In a video on his YouTube channel, UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski asserted that the matchup is "pretty 50-50." Volkanovski alluded to the significant factors at play, including the personal jibes exchanged by Strickland and du Plessis at their press conference, their brawl, and the tumultuous fight buildup as a whole.

'The Great' indicated that Strickland is aggressive with his trash talk, but he adopts a paradoxical, defensively offensive in-fight strategy. He lauded 'Tarzan's' takedown defense and ability to return to his feet when taken down. Volkanovski further emphasized that the American is a high-volume striker who generally lands power shots only when his opponent is out of position.

The former pound-for-pound king opined that du Plessis possesses aggression and tremendous strength and has taken down fighters like Robert Whittaker, who boasts stellar takedown defense. He praised 'Stillknocks' for his awkward, albeit effective, striking. Volkanovski highlighted that after du Plessis' nose surgery in April 2023, his cardio has purportedly improved.

Predicting a "50-50" stand-up battle, Volkanovski gave du Plessis a slight edge overall, provided his cardio doesn't falter:

"I think cardio, we know Sean Strickland doesn't waste too much energy, spars thousands of rounds, and he can go the five rounds every single time. So, you know he can bring it on in the last two rounds, and I think du Plessis can too. So, that's why I'm sort of more unsure. If I could guarantee du Plessis' gas tank's gonna hold up, I'm more leaning towards Dricus. I think Dricus maybe has more ways of winning."

Volkanovski added:

"It's going to be a very interesting fight; a lot there. You've got the buildup. They've built the fight up. They've already had their round one [their brawl]. Now, we're going to see rounds two to six, which is going to be pretty epic, going to be a great fight to start off the year, great card to start off the year."

Check out Alexander Volkanovski's comments below (4:23):

---

Sean Strickland vs. Dricus du Plessis: Examining the UFC 297 headliners' recent run

America's Sean Strickland (28-5 MMA) is coming off a dominant unanimous decision victory over combat sports megastar Israel Adesanya in September 2023. In what's considered to be one of the biggest upsets in MMA history, 'Tarzan' dethroned 'The Last Stylebender' and was crowned the new UFC middleweight champion. Presently, Strickland is on a three-fight MMA win streak.

South Africa's Dricus du Plessis (20-2 MMA) underwent nose surgery in April 2023. He beat former middleweight kingpin Robert Whittaker via second-round TKO in July 2023. It marked his most high-profile win to this date and has bagged him a title shot against Strickland. Currently, 'Stillknocks' is on an eight-fight win streak in his MMA career and is undefeated in the UFC.