Dricus Du Plessis Wins UFC Middleweight Title by Split Decision over Sean Strickland

Dricus du Plessis became the new UFC middleweight champion with a split-decision win over Sean Strickland in the main event of UFC 297 from the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Canada.

The fight got off to a close start. Du Plessis is traditionally a fast starter, but he opted for a more conservative approach early in the fight while Strickland established his trademark jab early.

Tarzan's defensive wrestling was key in the early going. Dricus du Plessis was able to land a few takedowns, but Strickland quickly worked his way back to the feet.

Through three rounds it was a close fight to call with Du Plessis landing a few heavy shots, including one that opened up a cut on Strickland's eye. However, DDP had an eye swelled by Strickland's constant pressure and volume.

The damage was just one of the signs of a very tight title fight. DDP had a strong fourth round, but the rest of the rounds were tightly contested and had social media abuzz with differing scorecards.

The two combatants received a huge pop from the crowd after both laid it on the line in a grueling slugfest.

Du Plessis' rise to a championship has been impressive to say the least. The South African made his UFC debut in October 2020 and only needed six fights to prove that he was ready for the opportunity.

His run has included wins over Darren Till, Derek Brunson and Robert Whittaker. Now he can add Strickland to the list.

Strickland became the champion with a shocking win over Israel Adesanya. Now, the fight to make might be a battle between the former champ and the new one.

When Strickland was chosen to take on Adesanya in September it was widely assumed that it was simply going to create more time to set up a bout between Adesanya and Du Plessis. Instead, Strickland pulled off the massive upset and Du Plessis had to shift focus to a new opponent.

Du Plessis has said that he was chasing the belt, not The Last Stylebender.

"I'm not fixated on fighting anybody, I'm fixated on fighting for that title. As soon as Strickland won that belt Israel Adesanya became completely irrelevant to me. I never have to fight him. It's fine, I don't care. I care about becoming world champion and realizing my destiny," he told Jon Anik of ESPN (h/t Fernando Quiles Jr. of Sports Illustrated).

Now that he's realized that destiny it's fair to wonder if that desire to fight Adesanya might come creeping back in. He's still the biggest name in the division and with UFC 300 coming up in April, there's potential for a huge blockbuster fight to be made.

However, Adesanya hasn't committed to returning that soon but has recently said he'll return in 2024.

Whether it's Adesanya or another contender, the road to middleweight glory now runs through Du Plessis.