Dricus Du Plessis vs. Sean Strickland Predictions

Prediction, Odds & Betting Tips for Dricus Du Plessis vs. Sean Strickland at UFC 312

Where: Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney, Australia
When: Sunday, February 9, 11:00 AM

After their battle at UFC 297, Du Plessis and Strickland will meet again in a title fight. This time, the venue will be in Australia, at the fantastic Qudos Bank Arena. However, Du Plessis, the champion, has won the previous battle via split decision. Many wonder if that was the right outcome because there is a lot of evidence that Strickland deserved to be on the winning side.

Dricus Du Plessis vs. Sean Strickland Preview

Dricus Du Plessis

The South African defeated Israel Adesanya in his last appearance and his first title defense. It was a face-crank submission, his second in the UFC, following one against Darren Till at UFC 282.

Overall, 11 of his 22 wins came via submission, which is a bit surprising because we all know Du Plessis as one of the strongest punchers in the division. Just remember how he dismantled Robert Whittaker and Derek Brunson.

Dricus is a freak in terms of physique, and we haven’t seen such a strong and raw fighter in a long time. Believe us when we say that his strength is massive for the light heavyweight division as well. On top of that, he improved his cardio significantly.

Sean Strickland

Strickland is back in the winning column, defeating Paulo Costa via split decision at the UFC 302. It was his first battle following a loss to Du Plessis once he dropped the belt as well.

He wasn’t that shiny against Costa, yet it was a win. Strickland defeated Adesanya to take the belt, and before that, Nassourdine Imavov and Abusupiyan Magomedov. He had some losses, like the one against Pereira and a very controversial one against Jared Cannonier.

Strickland is a dominant boxer, though he also knows to use his legs. Over the past years, he has improved his wrestling and grappling skills, but he still prefers to execute all of his business in the standup.

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Dricus Du Plessis and Sean Strickland Head to Head

Their first meeting was Strickland’s first title defense. Eventually, Du Plessis won via split decision, and many argue with this outcome. For some, Strickland lost because of his personality and his private stances.

We won’t be the judge of that here but look at the stats. Strickland had more significant strikes, and those to the head almost doubled as many as Du Plessis. The South African was better on the mat, having six successful takedowns in 11 attempts and two minutes of control in those positions. Stickland had no takedown attempts.

Dricus Du Plessis vs Sean Strickland Predictions

This will be a tough one, but we don’t believe it will see the final horn. Instead, it’s more likely that this event avoids going to the distance, which is our final pick. The odds aren’t extraordinary, yet they are pretty safe, and this pick has a certain value.