Undisputed UFC Middleweight Championship Bout
Date: Sat, Jan 20
Main Card Time: 11 PM ET
Location: T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV
How to Watch Live: Order on UFC Fight Pass
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Tale of the Tape
| 185 lbs | (MW – C) Sean Strickland | (MW) Driscus Du PLessis |
| Age | 31 | 34 |
| Height | 6’1″ | 6’1″ |
| Reach | 6’1″ | 76″ |
| Stance | Southpaw | Switch |
| Country | United States | South Africa |
| UFC Record | 28 – 5 – 0 | 20 – 2 – 0 |
| KO Rate | 41% | 45% |
| ML Odds* | -118 | -102 |
Storylines & Moneylines
Sean Strickland (-118)
Sean Strickland has flipped his narratives (and odds) on their heads. From #7 to Champ, he walks into this bout, the favorite for a change. Strickland employs an almost lazy-looking but active guard supplemented with methodical pressure. Despite losing to Pereira in UFC 276, he managed to have the Brazilian working off his back foot for most of the fight. Sean makes up for what he lacks in power in output, stamina, and a desire to finish what he started in the crowd at UFC 296. The road to a Strickland fight can always be described with “antics,” but make no mistake, the Sean who walks into the octagon is no-nonsense.
Dricus Du Plessis (-102)
Du Plessis sure knows how to hit a champion’s nerve. It was Adesanya and African-ness; now it’s Strickland and his pops. As expected, he walks in as the underdog against the Champ following his “loss” in the crowd at UFC 296. Jokes aside, Du Plessis is a dawg who managed to finish the gatekeeper, Rob Whittaker, at UFC 290. The South African, like Sean, operates at a high pace and isn’t afraid to get into a slugfest. His power may have been questioned in the past, but dropping Whittaker with a jab from Southpaw, questions some of those questions.
Prediction
Du Plessis’s road to gold has unearthed a few questions in his game, primarily about his gas tank. The South African comes out from the bell with a high pace of kicks and bursts of lunging one-twos. Therein lies Stricklands’ opening. While he may have lost his cool at the presser, the Champ is absolutely composed in the octagon. However, if anything, he can be too composed and find himself at the end of a shot in the same style as Pereira… That said, I think Du Plessis is hittable and his stamina questionable, more so in his first-round fight.
Our Pick: Sean Strickland DEC (+330) or Sean Strickland KO/TKO/DQ Rd 4 (+1800) or 5 (+2500)
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