UFC CEO Dana White has offered his perspective on the UFC 297 main event clash between Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis.
Strickland, with a record of 28-6 in MMA, aimed to make his first defense of the UFC middleweight title against Du Plessis (21-2 MMA) in the featured bout of the pay-per-view event held in Toronto.
Having claimed the 185lbs title last September at UFC 293 with a surprising victory over Israel Adesanya, Strickland faced a formidable challenger in Du Plessis, the South African powerhouse, who entered his inaugural UFC title bout on an eight-fight win streak, including a TKO win over former champion Robert Whittaker at UFC 290.
Dana White was present at ringside for the highly anticipated middleweight title showdown, and as expected, the contest lived up to its billing as a fierce battle. Strickland dominated the early rounds, inflicting damage to Du Plessis’ left eye with his rapid jab. However, Du Plessis staged a comeback in the subsequent rounds, particularly in rounds two and three, showcasing dominance in the fourth. Strickland rallied in the fifth and final round, creating a contentious situation where fans and fighters alike were divided on who should emerge with the championship.
The judges mirrored the indecision of the spectators, rendering a split decision. Two judges scored the bout in favor of Dricus Du Plessis, while one gave the victory to Sean Strickland.
During the post-fight press conference for UFC 297, Dana White was questioned about his assessment of the middleweight headliner. White revealed that he had scored the fight 3-2 in favor of Strickland, acknowledging that there were differing opinions among those he was sitting with.
“Dana White says that he had scored the fight 3-2 for Strickland, but some people that he was sitting with had it scored the other way.” – Aaron Bronsteter on ‘X‘.
Despite White’s scoring in Strickland’s favor, he expressed disinterest in an immediate rematch between Du Plessis and Strickland. Instead, the UFC CEO intends to arrange a highly anticipated grudge match between Du Plessis and former titleholder Israel Adesanya.
