- Dana White thought Sean Strickland beat Dricus du Plessis at UFC 297
- The UFC boss said they are not considering a quick rematch
UFC president Dana White thinks Sean Strickland was able to retain his middleweight title against Dricus du Plessis at UFC 297. He also shared his honest take on a possible rematch between the two.
Your NEW middleweight champ 🇿🇦 🏆#UFC297 | @DricusDuPlessis pic.twitter.com/VBi1sTzJGe
— UFC (@ufc) January 21, 2024
The boss had the champ winning
Speaking to the media in his UFC 297 post-fight press conference, White bluntly admitted that he scored the bout in favor of Strickland. The UFC honcho said he saw the fight even en route to the championship round but he thought the champ did better in the final five minutes.
“It’s funny, we were just looking at how the media had scored it and right down the middle,” White said. “I had it 2-2 going into the last round and I thought that Strickland won the last round. Guys who were sitting at the same table had it the other way. Yeah, it was a close fight.”
“I thought Strickland looked great in the first two rounds,” he added. “The jab was f**king beautiful. You don’t see jabs like that in MMA. And the jab did what it was supposed to do. Both of [du Plessis’] eyes were swelling shut. He slowed down in the third and fourth, [and] du Plessis kept coming forward then started mixing up takedowns and punches. And I had it even going into the fifth round, and this is the round to see who wants it. They both started to turn it up a little bit. It’s just one of those tight fights, but I’m also one of these guys I believe you’ve got to take it from the champion.”
How about a rematch?
Indeed, it was a close fight but when White was quizzed to comment on a potential rematch, the UFC boss confirmed that it’s not on the drawing board at this point.
“Eventually, these two are going to end up fighting again, I’m sure,” White said. “But we’re not thinking about an immediate rematch right now.”
No matter how White saw it, Du Plessis is now the new UFC middleweight champion. Even before he dethroned Strickland, “Stillknocks” already made it clear that he is not interested in defending his title against Khamzat Chimaev and a showdown with Israel Adesanya would make more sense.
