Nearly 13 months after their first encounter, Dricus Du Plessis once again got his hand raised in Saturday’s UFC 312 rematch with Sean Strickland.
Du Plessis (23-2 MMA, 9-0 UFC) achieved a second consecutive title defense in his reign as middleweight champion with a unanimous decision victory over Strickland (29-7 MMA, 16-7 UFC) in the event headliner at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney.
The first fight, which went down at UFC 297 in January 2024, saw Du Plessis claim a split decision. Now he is 2-0 in head-to-head competition with Strickland.
Check below for the top X (formerly Twitter) reactions to Du Plessis beating Strickland at UFC 312.
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Main men in the building 👀@DricusDuPlessis & @SStricklandMMA have arrived for their #UFC312 main event! pic.twitter.com/EJjCJevOW6
— UFC (@ufc) February 9, 2025
Gearing up for battle ⚔️
Your #UFC312 main event is not far away! pic.twitter.com/hPAxCdY9r4
— UFC_AUSNZ (@UFC_AUSNZ) February 9, 2025
Almost time… 👀#UFC312 | @DricusDuPlessis | @SStricklandMMA pic.twitter.com/esFQSTkK70
— UFC (@ufc) February 9, 2025
Sean Strickland makes the walk! #UFC312 pic.twitter.com/IJjmd42k0z
— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) February 9, 2025
𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐂𝐊𝐒 👊
🏆@DricusDuPlessis seek to showcase why he’s the best MW on the planet! #UFC312 pic.twitter.com/tkNXw3jE34
— UFC_AUSNZ (@UFC_AUSNZ) February 9, 2025
HERE WE GO 🥶 #UFC312 pic.twitter.com/aejQ4FSFWj
— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) February 9, 2025
“Saturday we’re gonna go to war”
… continues the trend of teep/jab all round 1
— Belal Muhammad (@bullyb170) February 9, 2025
Close round. DDP 10-9 #UFC312
— Alan Jouban (@AlanJouban) February 9, 2025
@dricusduplessis stand up is looking good but his unorthodox crash to punches/takedown is an element that made him hard to stop. He needs to get back to it a bit more.
— Rashad Evans (@SugaRashadEvans) February 9, 2025
Dricuss pressing a lot of buttons on the controller and it’s starting to pay off at the end of RD. It could be 1-1 or 2-0 DDP. Strickland needs to pick it up here. #UFC312
— Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) February 9, 2025
2-0 driscus
— Belal Muhammad (@bullyb170) February 9, 2025
30-27 Du Plessis. Strickland needs to make a few mid-fight adjustments if he wants to get his hand raised tonight #UFC312
— Henry Cejudo (@HenryCejudo) February 9, 2025
Championship Rounds 🏆 #UFC312
How are you scoring Dricus Du Plessis vs Sean Strickland 2?! pic.twitter.com/Ybk3RScyan
— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) February 9, 2025
10 minutes left on the table…
Who’s leaving #UFC312 with the belt?? pic.twitter.com/mJEp605XTt
— UFC (@ufc) February 9, 2025
DU PLESSIS BROKE STRICKLAND’S NOSE 😳 #UFC312 pic.twitter.com/KNE7WmyJFC
— ESPN (@espn) February 9, 2025
4-0 DDP.
Strickland’s nose is bleeding a lot. Maybe broken. Last 5 minutes for him coming up. Might be his last chance at a title.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) February 9, 2025
Sean Strickland’s nose 🥶 #UFC312
Final round up NEXT! pic.twitter.com/EWT9GSojNY
— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) February 9, 2025
This replay of the shot from Dricus du Plessis that broke Sean Strickland’s nose… WOW! #UFC312 pic.twitter.com/haWDOscIQ0
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) February 9, 2025
Sean Strickland is absolute trash at fighting 😂
— Dillon Danis (@dillondanis) February 9, 2025
Dricus Du Plessis is a top 5 P4P in the world. Put some respect on the champion!!! #UFC312
— Henry Cejudo (@HenryCejudo) February 9, 2025
Eric Nicksick told Strickland that he needed to load up, take chances, and go all out to finish. Then Strickland went out there and continued to do basically the same thing he’s been doing since Rd 1.
— Ben Fowlkes (@benfowlkesMMA) February 9, 2025
They go the distance! #UFC312
How did you score Dricus Du Plessis vs Sean Strickland 2?! pic.twitter.com/m1b8rXdBwF
— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) February 9, 2025
I can be double champ pretty easily
— Belal Muhammad (@bullyb170) February 9, 2025
LONGEST ACTIVE UFC WIN STREAKS
15 – Islam Makhachev
12 – Merab Dvalishvili
09 – Dricus Du Plessis
09 – Movsar Evloev#UFC312— Michael Carroll (@MJCflipdascript) February 9, 2025
We’re on the verge of one of the wildest matchups in UFC history.
Dricus Du Plessis vs. Khamzat Chimaev.
An absolute powerhouse vs. a near psycho fighter. pic.twitter.com/pHWS76XRBa
— MMA History Today (@MMAHistoryToday) February 9, 2025
STILL THE CHAMP 🏆🏆🏆@DricusDuPlessis extends his win streak to NINE with his second successful title defense! #UFC312 pic.twitter.com/fzNPS5eNEv
— UFC (@ufc) February 9, 2025
There’s only one Sean Strickland 🤣 #UFC312 pic.twitter.com/asZMxRPooI
— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) February 9, 2025
@dricusduplessis 😈 pic.twitter.com/O3JYSx4URF
— Khamzat Chimaev (@KChimaev) February 9, 2025
Congrats @dricusduplessis.
No technic, no rhythm but 200% activity and pressure, especially like a champion, that was something inspirational. ⚡️— Jiri BJP Prochazka (@jiri_bjp) February 9, 2025
LONGEST ACTIVE @UFC WIN STREAKS
15 – Islam Makhachev
12 – Merab Dvalishvili
09 – Dricus Du Plessis (@DricusDuPlessis) 🏆
09 – Movsar EvloevComplete Main Card Results ➡️ https://t.co/HQsi7WNtGd
— UFC News (@UFCNews) February 9, 2025
Two badass motherf****** 😤#UFC312 pic.twitter.com/ryRu1wPj9V
— UFC (@ufc) February 9, 2025
All love between 🏆 Du Plessis and Strickland! #UFC312 pic.twitter.com/6os2uLtGHC
— UFC Canada (@UFC_CA) February 9, 2025
Congrats to @dricusduplessis BUT I CAN AND I WILL BEAT YOU!
Mark my words 🤓
— Caio Borralho (@BorralhoCaio) February 9, 2025
That's what the @ufc is all about, allow the best to become champ, no matter their fame, you're a good example of that. You took advantage of it and now you’re closing the door. Khamzat is a superstar, he'll sell against anyone. Him or me, your time’s coming @dricusduplessis https://t.co/BUhsuYT8uv
— Imavov Nassourdine (@imavov1) February 9, 2025
