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South African challenger Dricus Du Plessis beat Sean Strickland in the opening pay-per-view of the year, UFC 297. Du Plessis clinched the win with a split-second decision at the end of a five-round war. After getting a new middleweight champion, several names in the UFC along with the fans said that Strickland was hit by the ‘Drake Curse’. For the unversed, Canadian rapper Drake is known for bringing bad luck to fighters he bets on.
After the win over Strickland, Dricus called out New Zealand MMA fighter Israel Adesanya and said that he is open to fighting with him in the UFC 300. After the win, in the post-fight octagon interview with Daniel Cormier, Dricus du Plessis said, "There was another guy who tried to take my shine, he lost his shine, and now I have your shine. He didn't get into the cage tonight but Israel Adesanya, get your a** back in the UFC so we can settle the score."
“I honestly thought with the takedowns, I made sure on every round. I could feel it was a close fight. I felt that he gets up really well. I felt the first three rounds was give and take but those last two rounds I know. I was there for rounds four and five. Who says this guy’s not a five round fighter?”, Du Plessis further added.
He also went on to praise Strickland and said, “He has a super, super strong jab. It feels like somebody hits you with a rock. It was imperative that I make him go backwards. If I’m pressuring with this physique, I promise you’re going to get tired. Sean Strickland, you said to death, I tried to kill you in here tonight, didn’t quite get there but you are one hell of a man. Thank you for bringing the best out of me. It was an honor sharing the cage with you.”
Dircus’ win over Strickland came as a surprise to many people, including rest of the UFC fighters. After the fight, UFC star Khamzat Chimaev called for a title matchup against Plessis at the forthcoming UFC 300. He tweeted, "See you soon biplisi ufc300.” Not only this, but Dillon Danis also reacted to it and said, F**k Sean Strickland."
