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Dricus Du Plessis did not like the way his first encounter with Sean Strickland ended in a split decision just over a year ago, so he made sure there was no doubt on Sunday at UFC 312 in Sydney, Australia.
In a rather lackluster rematch, Du Plessis retained his middleweight title with a dominant unanimous decision over a bloody Strickland.
"This was a big test point for me, I don't want these decisions to become a habit," Du Plessis said. "The game plan here was to keep calm, because my coach said, 'You know you can knock someone out. We know you've got that dog in you. Try to keep calm.' Because it was very difficult once I saw him holding his nose."
It was the second title defense for the 31-year-old Du Plessis (23-2), after defeating Israel Adesanya by submission in the fourth round on August 17 in Perth, Australia.
The development of the fight
In the first round, Strickland (29-7) tried to establish his jab, while Du Plessis remained aggressive with a series of kicks.
Strickland continued to approach his attacks cautiously in the second round, trying to pick his spots. Apart from a strong right hand at the start of the round, it was Du Plessis who won the battle of significant strikes, 28-17.
The third round provoked more boos than action during the first half of the round, until a right hand landed and then a spinning backfist from Du Plessis.
The fourth round saw the most action, with the champion breaking Strickland's nose with a strong right hand and then applying relentless pressure on his challenger. While the first three rounds were very evenly matched, Du Plessis dominated the fourth.
Du Plessis continued to attack Strickland in the final round, while remaining on the attack to confirm victory.
Weili successfully defends her title
In the co-main event, strawweight champion Zhang Weili (26-3-0) overcame a difficult first round and controlled more than 21 minutes of her title defense against No. 1 contender Tatiana Suarez (11-1-0) to win a unanimous decision and retain her belt.
Zhang has won her last four title defenses, three by unanimous decision and the other by second-round submission.