UFC Legend Shares Shocking Scorecard for Sean Strickland vs. Dricus Du Plessis
Many fans are still divided on the scoring for the UFC 297 title bout between Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis, but Chael Sonnen was certain who the winner was once the fight concluded.
Following months of buildup that included a brawl at UFC 296 as well as some heated words from both fighters, Strickland and Du Plessis finally met in the main event of UFC 297 last weekend with the middleweight title on the line.
“Stillknocks” managed to usurp Strickland when he walked away from the bout with a split-decision victory, and even though he admits he was cheering for the defending champion, Sonnen came away from the fight with an extremely lopsided scorecard.
Du Plessis won the UFC middleweight title via split decision.
(Dan Hamilton/USA TODAY Sports)
"[Strickland] lost every round of the fight,” Sonnen said on his YouTube channel. “In my heart I think it was 5-0, with a real bias to Strickland. With an upset stomach and sweaty palms, it was 5-0 and an absolute best-case, 4-1. And I think that the crowd for the most part agreed with me…I was stunned when it was a split decision.”
The consensus among fans ahead of UFC 297 was that a longer fight would favor Strickland, but the champion found himself with his back against the wall heading into the fifth round and mounted a late flurry of offense that unfortunately wasn’t enough to defend his title.
Several high-profile figures in the MMA world indicated they thought Strickland won immediately following UFC 297, and Sonnen expressed disbelief at how Joe Rogan and UFC CEO Dana White both scored the fight.
Strickland has openly disagreed with the scoring for his fight against Du Plessis.
(Dan Hamilton/USA TODAY Sports)
"My bigger surprise was when all was said and done – Joe Rogan, who definitely qualifies as an expert in this space. Dana White, who definitely qualifies as an expert in this space, [they] both had Strickland. They both had Strickland. I thought, ‘Guys, did we watch the same thing?'"
Strickland indicated in his post-fight interview that he felt he’d done enough to win a decision, and the former champion has already taken to Instagram to claim that an alleged head butt from Du Plessis helped swing things in the South African’s favor.
Contentious decisions in UFC title fights often result in immediate rematches, but for now, it appears Strickland will have to wait for another crack at Du Plessis while the promotion attempts to match the newly-crowned champion up with Israel Adesanya.
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