At UFC 312, held on February 8, 2025, at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia, Dricus Du Plessis successfully defended his middleweight title against Sean Strickland, securing a unanimous decision victory. This bout marked their second encounter, with Du Plessis previously dethroning Strickland in January 2024 via a controversial split decision. In this rematch, Du Plessis left no room for doubt, dominating the fight with judges scoring the contest 50-45, 50-45, and 49-46 in his favor. A pivotal moment occurred in the fourth round when Du Plessis landed a powerful right cross, breaking Strickland’s nose.

Despite the injury and profuse bleeding, Strickland demonstrated resilience, continuing to engage but struggling to match Du Plessis’ intensity. Watching the fight live was former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, whose presence made the event even more interesting. The 35-year-old took to his YouTube channel and shared a glimpse of him analyzing the fight beside Alex Pereira‘s coach. Adesanya had previously faced both opponents and was pretty aware of the threats they both possess. However, the former champion was shocked to see ‘Tarzan’ getting hurt so badly.

During the video, he said, “Oh man, good shot oh his nose it broke his nose. Oh, no.” However, he then pointed out the problems Strickland could have faced in the fight once he broke the nose. He further added, “That hurt his nose. He’s thinking about it. You can’t blow it if not his eyes will close up. He can’t breathe properly as well. So making him tired even faster.” Unfortunately for Strickland, he let go of a chance to become a champion and failed to live up to the expectations surrounding him. Since then, the former champion has faced a lot of criticism for not being able to put on a show for the fans.

Despite battling through a broken nose, Din Thomas and Luke Rockhold—have been brutal about their assessment. But does the former champion really deserve this amount of criticism? Former UFC dual-champion Daniel Cormier doesn’t quite feel the same. For him, both fighters battled it out for five rounds, but a better fighter won that night.

Daniel Cormier comes out in support of Sean Strickland after his UFC 312 loss

Enter the main event of UFC 312, where Sean Strickland’s quest for middleweight redemption turned into a grueling five-round battle against the relentless force of Dricus Du Plessis. Known for his sharp tongue, Strickland found his usual verbal warfare replaced by the unforgiving reality of Du Plessis’s nonstop pressure. The South African systematically broke down his defenses, forcing Strickland into survival mode.

With blood streaming from his shattered nose, his signature Philly Shell defense faltered as Du Plessis turned up the intensity. Meanwhile, his coach, Eric Nicksick, shouted increasingly urgent instructions, his voice cutting through the chaos of the arena.

In the aftermath, the former champion faced heavy criticism for his performance. Cormier, who has himself been involved in multiple title fights, knows that sometimes your opponent is just too good that day. This is what he said during his YouTube video and praised Strickland for his performance. He said, “I didn’t really agree. I thought that he really just got outclassed in that fight. Sometimes you’re in there, and things don’t work the way you expect. Now, it was surprising for me to hear criticism from Luke and Din—Luke in particular. Because Mike Perry hit him in the face, broke his teeth, and he stopped.” 

Despite the loss, ‘Tarzan’ is far from finished and has a lot of fights left in him. But the big question is: can he come back from this loss and get back to winning ways? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.