"Du Plessis defeats Strickland to become the new middleweight champion in UFC, Pennington leads a new era."
South African contender Dricus Du Plessis won the new UFC middleweight championship at UFC 297 with a split decision victory over Sean Strickland. The fight was intense, and Strickland showed humility, praising the new champion and expressing his love for Canadian fans. Du Plessis demonstrated gentlemanly conduct, showing respect for Strickland's powerful straight punches. He successfully landed 6 out of 11 strikes in front of his opponent. After the match, Du Plessis called for Israel Adesanya to return to the UFC and resolve their differences.