Former UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz stated that Dricus du Plessis’ takedowns won him the fight against Sean Strickland in the main event of UFC 297. The two fighters engaged in a gruelling back-and-forth contest that went the distance. Strickland used his jab and ‘Philly shell’ style, causing du Plessis some difficulties throughout the fight. However, the South African began to adjust his gameplan by incorporating calf kicks, head kicks, and takedowns into his offense.
The fight was extremely close, as evidenced by the split decision victory for du Plessis with scores of 48-47, 47-48, and 48-47. The outcome had MMA fans and judges divided. Dominick Cruz shared his thoughts on what led to du Plessis’ win, highlighting the adjustments he made throughout the fight. Cruz stated that getting the takedowns and making Strickland guess whether or not they were going to happen opened up striking for du Plessis. The stance switch, calf kicks, and constant forward pressure with big strikes and kicks demonstrated why Dricus du Plessis is a true champion.
After his victory over Sean Strickland, Dricus du Plessis called out Israel Adesanya, reigniting their rivalry, and expressed his desire for Adesanya to return from his hiatus to face him next. Du Plessis stated, “There is another guy who tried to take my shine. He lost his shine, now I have your shine. You didn’t get into the cage tonight, but Israel Adesanya, get your a** back in the UFC so we can settle the score.”
Israel Adesanya responded to the pay-per-view event on his YouTube channel, sharing his thoughts on du Plessis’ performance and callout. Adesanya congratulated du Plessis as the fourth African champion in UFC history and expressed his happiness for his fellow African fighter. However, he also reminded du Plessis that he “still did what he did,” and that Adesanya would eventually “test that a**.”
