OPINION: Is Dricus back in the title frame after Strickland’s surprise win?
· Citizen
American Sean Strickland blew the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight division wide open on Sunday and in so doing could drastically have changed the plans for South Africa’s Dricus du Plessis.
Strickland stunned the mixed martial arts world yet again at UFC 328 at the Prudential Centre in Newark, New Jersey in the early hours of Sunday morning when he beat Russia’s Khamzat Chimaev to reclaim the middleweight title.
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The outspoken American came into the fight as a heavy betting underdog and took the seemingly unbeatable Russian the full distance of 25 minutes, eventually coming out on top via a split decision.
This is the second time he has come into a championship fight with the odds stacked against him – the first time he knocked out Nigeria’s Israel Adesanya.
Now what makes this all very interesting – and also somewhat complicated – is the fact that Strickland just beat the man that totally outwrestled Du Plessis.
Chimaev ground down DDP for the full duration of their fight at UFC 319 just under a year ago, making the South African realise that he had some big holes in his wrestling game that needed some attention.
The thought of Chimaev losing his very first title defence was not even a thought for anyone, and especially DDP who chose to take some time off to work on his wrestling and even fight a few more times before even thinking of fighting for the title again.
And now, in the blink of an eye, all that has changed.
Du Plessis has beaten Strickland twice – both with the middleweight title on the line – leaving the South African with some tough decisions to make.
Assuming Strickland and Chimaev do not fight again, DDP is the No 1 contender and could very well be next in line for a crack at the title.
The question now is, does Du Plessis continue improving on his wrestling or does he enter the conversation for the next title fight – against Strickland, yet again?
Personally, I would love to see DDP with the strap around his waist again, but I think he should stick to his current plan, fight a few more times and come back even stronger.