Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Middleweight rivals Dricus Du Plessis vs. Sean Strickland will rematch TONIGHT (Sat., Feb. 8, 2025) inside Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia.
It’s been just about 12 months since Du Plessis and Strickland squared off for the first time, a closely contested 25-minute contest that saw Du Plessis walk away as champion. Since then, each man has competed just once. “DDP” solidified his position as champion by strangling Israel Adesanya, whereas Strickland retained his top contender status by turning away Paulo Costa in a fairly tepid affair. Despite the sudden injection of Khamzat Chimaev into the title mix, Strickland has kept his spot in line and will receive his opportunity for revenge.
Can he make the necessary adjustments? Let’s take a closer look at the betting odds and strategic keys for each athlete:
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Du Plessis vs. Strickland 2 Betting Odds
- Dricus Du Plessis victory: -218
- Dricus Du Plessis via TKO/KO/DQ: +350
- Dricus Du Plessis via submission: +500
- Dricus Du Plessis via decision: +150
- Sean Strickland victory: +180
- Sean Strickland via TKO/KO/DQ: +750
- Sean Strickland via submission: +2800
- Sean Strickland via decision: +250
- Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook
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How Du Plessis Wins
Dricus Du Plessis is undoubtedly a sloppy technician, but he nevertheless manages to be effective in every asset of MMA. He’s a dangerous striker, powerful wrestler, and genuinely slick grappler, and he backs those threats with relentless physicality.
In the first fight, Du Plessis did a better job of adjusting round-to-round, which is why he ultimately scored the decision nod. He was constantly attacking different targets and using new combinations of attacks, mixing it up to find holes in that savvy Strickland defense. It wasn’t easy and a lot of strikes missed, but sheer force of will and volume won the day.
The same nonstop output and effort will be necessary, but there are a couple adjustments Du Plessis could easily make to find better success on the feet. First and foremost: more straight punches! So many of Du Plessis’ swings were wide and clubbing, easily intercepted. He found his best success when his right hand came down the middle or after a double jab. Hell, even his best marching combination lands came when the punches were more straight.
The other early adjustment to make is more body punching. Du Plessis did well to kick all targets — and should do it again! — but just taking his wide swings to the torso more often should increase his landing percentage.
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How Strickland Wins
Strickland may not be great at adjusting in-fight, but his default style has proven very a tough nut to crack. Strickland really excels at limiting opponents to his preferred kind of kickboxing match, where his tight defense and sharp strikes down the middle win the day more often than not.
First and foremost: Strickland should also be throwing his right hand straighter instead of that ugly overhand, and he would be smart to punch the body as well. His overhands in the first bout were so ugly and ineffective, and “DDP” relies heavily on the high guard to shield his chin, leaving his ribs and belly exposed almost at all times.
Generally, Strickland has to sit down on his counters more and throw more than one shot. Too often, he’d retreat from exchanges, at most flicking up a jab. Even if neither really landed, the optics were terrible for Strickland, who was getting pushed around and never once hurt Du Plessis — it’s tough to convince the judges that way!
Additionally, Strickland cannot forget his teep. Early in the first fight, it was among his best weapons, but his usage of the shot quickly diminished after a few parry and kick counters. Whether he does it by feinting the teep more often or trying to counter the counter, Strickland cannot lose that element of his game.
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Du Plessis vs. Strickland 2 Prediction
A Strickland win via close decision could happen, but I can find not even a single reason to think his odds have improved in the last 12 months.
At this stage of their respective careers, he’s less likely to make any big adjustments. I’m not sure he has the ability to add to his game 17 years into his professional career. He’s the older man with more milage on his body, and he may or may not be recovering from a staph infection.
Du Plessis, conversely, is still getting better. He’s in his prime and peaking, game planning for opponents and then adjusting as necessary round-to-round. He’s smarter and more dangerous, the man much more likely both to sway the judges to his side (again) or time a huge shot and produce a finish.
Prediction: Du Plessis via decision (+150)
