- Chael Sonnen thought Dricus du Plessis was able to convince all three judges at UFC 297 and Sean Strickland may have only won the final round
- “Tarzan” is not likely to get an instant rematch
Chael Sonnen did not expect to hear a judge score the UFC 297 in favor of Sean Strickland as he was quite sure Dricus du Plessis won all five rounds.
A split decision was shocking
Speaking on his YouTube channel, “The Bad Guy” Du Plessis won all five rounds and perhaps, Strickland might have gotten the better of “Stillknocks” only in the final round. However, he had a feeling that all three judges would give it to Du Plessis and was shocked to hear one judge handed it to “Tarzan.”
“I told you Strickland won the fifth round, I don’t know that, I believe that he did, I’d have to watch after rewatch it but in my heart, I think it was 5-0,” Sonnen said. “With a real bias to Strickland, with upset stomach and sweaty palms, it was 5-0 and at absolute best-case, 4-1. I think that the crowd, for the most part, agreed with me. The live audience is a tremendous focus group for how the rest of the world is feeling. They’re educated and they’re hardcore and even if they’re drunk and it’s the end of the night, it’s the one they came for and they’re invested. And it seemed like they had no problem with the scores.”
“I was stunned when it was a split decision,” he continued. “So when one [judge] came in for Strickland, I was really surprised. Now, my bigger surprise was when all was said and done, Joe Rogan — who definitely qualifies as an expert in this space — and Dana White — who definitely qualifies as an expert in this space — both had Strickland. Did we watch the same thing?”
A controversial win but no rematch
Many have admitted that they found it difficult to tell who really won between Strickland and Du Plessis. For some, it was a controversial fight that needs a rematch. However, UFC president Dana White already stated that they are not aiming for a second showdown at the moment.
Check out Sonnen’s full video below:
