Ultimate Fighting Calendar
UFCUFC 297: Strickland vs du Plessis
MiddleweightTITLE FIGHT5 rounds scheduled
Sean Strickland
United StatesSean Strickland
31-7-0
RESULT

Dricus Du Plessis def. Sean Strickland (Split Decision)

Split Decision · Round 5 · 5:00
WIN
Dricus Du Plessis
South AfricaDricus Du Plessis
“Stillknocks”
23-3-0
Saturday, January 20, 2024
Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Canada

Dricus Du Plessis defeated Sean Strickland by Split Decision in round 5 (5:00) in the Middleweight title main event of UFC 297: Strickland vs du Plessis, held Saturday, January 20, 2024 at Scotiabank Arena, Toronto.

Fight stats

Sean Strickland
Dricus Du Plessis
0
Knockdowns
0
173 of 408
Significant strikes
137 of 354
42%
Sig. strike accuracy
39%
183 of 419
Total strikes
140 of 358
0 of 0
Takedowns
6 of 11
—
Takedown accuracy
55%
0
Submission attempts
0
0
Reversals
0
0:00
Control time
2:08
Significant strikes by target
157 of 387
Head
81 of 283
10 of 15
Body
32 of 37
6 of 6
Leg
24 of 34
173 of 408
Distance
134 of 348
0 of 0
Clinch
3 of 5
0 of 0
Ground
0 of 1

By round

ROUND 1
0
KD
0
34 of 75
Sig. str.
18 of 51
39 of 80
Total str.
19 of 52
0 of 0
Takedowns
2 of 3
0
Sub. att
0
0:00
Ctrl
0:28
ROUND 2
0
KD
0
22 of 62
Sig. str.
26 of 60
26 of 66
Total str.
26 of 60
0 of 0
Takedowns
1 of 1
0
Sub. att
0
0:00
Ctrl
0:22
ROUND 3
0
KD
0
31 of 87
Sig. str.
29 of 84
31 of 87
Total str.
29 of 85
0 of 0
Takedowns
0 of 0
0
Sub. att
0
0:00
Ctrl
0:00
ROUND 4
0
KD
0
33 of 85
Sig. str.
29 of 73
34 of 87
Total str.
31 of 75
0 of 0
Takedowns
3 of 5
0
Sub. att
0
0:00
Ctrl
1:18
ROUND 5
0
KD
0
53 of 99
Sig. str.
35 of 86
53 of 99
Total str.
35 of 86
0 of 0
Takedowns
0 of 2
0
Sub. att
0
0:00
Ctrl
0:00

Judges' Scorecards

Derek Cleary
#StricklandPlessis
1109
2910
3910
4910
5109
Total4748
Eric Colón
#StricklandPlessis
1109
2910
3910
4910
5109
Total4748
Sal D'Amato
#StricklandPlessis
1109
2910
3109
4910
5109
Total4847

Media Scores

10
Strickland
–
13
Plessis
●48–47 Plessis×13●48–47 Strickland×9●49–46 Strickland
All 23 media scorecards▾

Fan Scorecards

58%
Strickland
2%
Draw
41%
Plessis
4,276 fan scorecards submitted
●48–47 Strickland49.3%●48–47 Plessis37.4%●49–46 Strickland6.7%●49–46 Plessis2.2%
Fans' round-by-round verdict
R1
97%
Strickland
R2
63%
Plessis
R3
69%
Plessis
R4
96%
Plessis
R5
95%
Strickland

Scorecard data via mmadecisions.com

Frequently asked questions

Who won Sean Strickland vs Dricus Du Plessis?

Dricus Du Plessis defeated Sean Strickland by Split Decision in round 5 (5:00) in the Middleweight title main event of UFC 297: Strickland vs du Plessis, held Saturday, January 20, 2024 at Scotiabank Arena, Toronto.

What were the judges' scorecards for Sean Strickland vs Dricus Du Plessis?

The judges scored it 48–47, 48–47, 47–48 — Dricus Du Plessis won the decision.

Referee
Marc Goddard
Time format
5 Rnd (5-5-5-5-5)
Pre-fight comparison▾

Win probability

Sean Strickland 44%56% Dricus Du Plessis

What the model gave each fighter going into the fight, from their pre-fight UFCal Elo ratings. See all Elo ratings

Tale of the Tape

31-7-0
Record
23-3-0
1655
Elo rating
1693
2
Win Streak
0
35
Age
32
6'1"
185 cm
Height
6'1"
185 cm
76"
193 cm
Reach
76"
193 cm
Orthodox
Stance
Switch
Middleweight
Weight Class
Middleweight
United States
Nationality
South Africa

Striking Profile

5.98
SLpM
5.18
42%
Str. Acc.
48%
4.53
SApM
4.33
60%
Str. Def.
52%

Grappling Profile

0.66
TD Avg.
2.22
62%
TD Acc.
51%
68%
TD Def.
34%
0.10
Sub. Avg.
0.70

Recent form (last 5 fights)

Sean Strickland · 3-2
  • W
    Khamzat Chimaev
    UFC 328: Chimaev vs StricklandSat, May 9, 2026
    Split Decision · R5 · 5:00 · Middleweight
  • W
    Anthony Hernandez
    UFC Fight Night: Strickland vs HernandezSat, Feb 21, 2026
    TKO · R3 · 2:23 · Middleweight
  • L
    Dricus Du Plessis
    UFC 312: Du Plessis vs Strickland 2Sat, Feb 8, 2025
    Unanimous Decision · R5 · 5:00 · Middleweight
  • W
    Paulo Costa
    UFC 302: Makhachev vs PoirierSat, Jun 1, 2024
    Split Decision · R5 · 5:00 · Middleweight
  • L
    Dricus Du Plessis
    UFC 297: Strickland vs du PlessisSat, Jan 20, 2024
    Split Decision · R5 · 5:00 · Middleweight
Dricus Du Plessis · 4-1
  • L
    Khamzat Chimaev
    UFC 319: Du Plessis vs Chimaev: Du Plessis vs ChimaevSat, Aug 16, 2025
    Unanimous Decision · R5 · 5:00 · Middleweight
  • W
    Sean Strickland
    UFC 312: Du Plessis vs Strickland 2Sat, Feb 8, 2025
    Unanimous Decision · R5 · 5:00 · Middleweight
  • W
    Israel Adesanya
    UFC 305: Du Plessis vs AdesanyaSat, Aug 17, 2024
    Submission · R4 · 3:38 · Middleweight
  • W
    Sean Strickland
    UFC 297: Strickland vs du PlessisSat, Jan 20, 2024
    Split Decision · R5 · 5:00 · Middleweight
  • W
    Robert Whittaker
    UFC 290: Volkanovski vs RodriguezSat, Jul 8, 2023
    TKO · R2 · 2:23 · Middleweight

Career Averages

Based on 25 fights · 10 fights
97.2
Avg sig. strikes
77.0
0.72
Avg takedowns
2.20
1:21
Avg control time
1:45
186
Career high strikes
147
4
Career high TDs
6

Strike Distribution

Sean Strickland
Strike target
Dricus Du Plessis
81%
Head
59%
14%
Body
18%
5%
Leg
23%
Sean Strickland
Strike position
Dricus Du Plessis
92%
Distance
82%
3%
Clinch
8%
5%
Ground
10%