On one side we have the South African juggernaut who speaks volumes with just his smirk and on the other, we have an American slugger who loves to throw words of steel. Dricus Du Plessis and Sean Strickland have clashed before and they know each other’s pressure points. It’s not a new encounter but it definitely is going to be a tense one with a lot of simmering feuds from the past.

This rematch between DDP and Strickland at UFC 312 is being viewed by many as a pivotal fight for these rivals and their legacies. So we decided to ask AI to predict this rematch and give a breakdown of the same.

Was Du Plessis vs. Strickland fair? AI Opinion

Before getting into the present bout let’s take a look at the past archives and see what happened at UFC 297. Was the fight fair? As experts in the UFC world analyzed the fight between Dricus du Plessis and Sean Strickland at UFC 297, the split decision win for Du Plessis was fair but very close. The fight was razor-sharp, and a case could be made for either fighter.

The first meeting between ‘Stillknocks’ and ‘Tarzan’ ended up becoming one of the closest 5 round fights in UFC in 2024. The back-and-forth clash had 323 combined strikes and each of them earned a Fight of the Night bonus for their prowess. However, DDP became the 185 lbs champ by winning the belt.

Now the thing is, Strickland made a case for himself that he deserved to win. He controlled the pace on a lot of portions with his jab, defensive movement, and counterpunching. His volume and ability to land consistent strikes were evident. Many believed he had done enough in at least three rounds.

Now for Dricus Du Plessis, he fought aggressively and landed many damaging strikes and his pressure shots were brutal enough to sway the judges. A Sean Strickland win wouldn’t have been a robbery, but Du Plessis edging it was also justifiable. The rounds were extremely close, and it ultimately came down to damage vs. volume—the judges leaned toward damage. Now what about the rematch then?

AI predicts Du Plessis vs Strickland 2

Picture this: it’s the opening few seconds of the fight and the audience is waiting with bated breath. The duo starts to circle each other and every move is calculated. How does it play out? According to AI since both the fighters have shared 25 minutes inside the octagon before, they know their weaknesses and strengths.

So here the adjustment would be key. Strickland’s path to victory according to AI would be to increase his volume and combine fight stances to prevent DDP from landing huge shots. ‘Tarzan’ needs more bodywork and clinch control to neutralize the aggression from ‘Stillknocks’

As for the 22-2 middleweight star, he needs to be more adept with defense and continue to land explosive strikes. His cardio could also help if he improves the same and can break Strickland’s rhythm inside the cage. But what did AI predict in terms of scores?

“A 50/50 fight again, but Du Plessis has a slight edge due to his ability to land damaging shots and make adjustments. If Strickland can avoid big power shots and control the tempo, he could win a decision, but I predict Du Plessis will win again—this time via late TKO or another close decision.” This is what AI reported.

As the duo has already faced off before UFC 312 there seems to be some pacification in the feud. With ‘Tarzan’s’ staph infection scares before the fight DDP decided to give him some morale boost during the media day. He showed his respect and said, “I think there’s so much mutual respect between me and Sean. At least from my side, I have all the respect in the world for the man. He’s an absolute warrior, an incredible fighter. I think he’s proven that.”

So with all the past behind them and new chapters on the horizon, who do you think will win this time around? Will AI’s prediction come true? Tell us in the comments below.