UFC 312 Timeline: Dricus du Plessis vs. Sean Strickland 2

Dricus du Plessis and Sean Strickland meet in the octagon one more time with the middleweight title again on the line in Saturday’s UFC 312 main event. Watch MMA Fighting’s UFC 312 Timeline video above to see how their rivalry has raged on since their first meeting over a year ago.

At UFC 297 in January 2024, Strickland was set to defend his title for the first time against du Plessis, who had yet to lose in the UFC. The South African standout kept his perfect record intact, winning a narrow split decision over Strickland, setting the stage for a future meeting if both fighters could stay on track.

Sure enough, Strickland kept up his end of the bargain with a decision win over Paulo Costa the following June, and du Plessis settled his grudge with two-time middleweight champion Israel Adesanya at UFC 305 in August, submitting “The Last Stylebender” in the fourth round. It didn’t take long for the UFC to book a championship rematch between du Plessis and Strickland.

Can du Plessis put his rival down for good, or will Strickland recapture UFC gold and possibly set up a trilogy bout?