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Dricus du Plessis was able to capture the middleweight title at UFC 297 as he defeated Sean Strickland via split decision. While UFC CEO Dana White believes that 'Tarzan' should have won the bout, 'Stillknocks' stated that he disagrees with that opinion.
Speaking to the media at the post-fight press conference, the middleweight champion stated:
"I thought I did enough to win the fight. It was definitely close though. I definitely gave him the first round then I made the necessary adjustments. In the fifth round, I wouldn't give him the round. I don't know how they scored it to be honest. Listen, it was a close fight. I'm not going to lie. It was one of those fights where there wasn't even time to really think of what is happening."
Du Plessis continued:
"I do believe with the takedowns that I got - it was very back and forth with the striking, one for him, one for me - and I tried to stay ahead with the takedowns. By round four and five, he did a good job of defending those, but obviously my takedowns got a bit sloppy, and he started reading them but those takedowns weren't really for getting a takedown. They were more to disrupt his game plan, but at the end of the day, I went toe to toe with the self-proclaimed and some people think best boxer in the UFC."
Check out Dricus du Plessis' comments on his UFC 297 victory over Sean Strickland below:
When informed that White believed Strickland won the bout, du Plessis strongly disagreed. Following the bout, he called out Israel Adesanya, setting the stage for a potential UFC 300 showdown.
Dana White believes Sean Strickland defeated Dricus du Plessis
While Dricus du Plessis was able to claim the middleweight title at UFC 297, the bout was very closely contested. UFC CEO Dana White stated at the post-fight press conference that he believes Sean Strickland did enough to retain the belt:
"I had it two to two going into the last round and I thought Strickland won the last round. The guys who were sitting at the same table had it the other way. It was a close fight... I had it even going into the fight round and I'm like this is the round to see who wants it and they both started to turn it up a little bit. It just was one of those tight fights, but I'm also one of these guys I believe you have to take it from the champion."
Check out Dana White's comments on Sean Strickland vs. Dricus du Plessis below:
While White had the bout even going into the final round, that was not the case on two of the three judges' scorecards. Although Strickland won the fifth round on all three scorecards, both Derek Cleary and Eric Colon had him down three rounds to one entering the round.
Check out the official UFC 297 scorecard below:
