Alexander Volkanovski believes Dricus Du Plessis beating UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland will depend on his cardio.
Strickland (28-5 MMA, 15-5 UFC) makes his first title defense against Du Plessis (20-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC 297 main event at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.
Du Plessis slowed down in his finishes over Darren Till and Derek Brunson, but after undergoing nose surgery this past April, he was able to have his cleanest performance in the octagon when he finished former champion Robert Whittaker by TKO at UFC 290. If his deviated septum was indeed the cause, featherweight champion Volkanovski likes Du Plessis’ chances.
“It’s going to be a standup battle, and I still think it’s pretty 50-50 on the feet,” Volkanovski said on his YouTube channel. “I think he’s pretty awkward, Du Plessis. The later rounds, I want to say, obviously Du Plessis ended up having his nose surgery. He said that was giving him a lot of grief, and he said he felt great in his last one. It definitely made a difference, so let’s see.
“Because I think cardio, we know Sean Strickland doesn’t waste too much energy, spars thousands of rounds, so he can go the five rounds every single time. He can bring it on in the last two rounds, and I think Du Plessis can too, so that’s why I’m sort of more unsure. If I could guarantee Du Plessis’ gas tank is going to hold up, I’m more leaning towards Dricus. I think Dricus maybe does have more ways of winning but yeah, it’s going to be a very interesting fight.”
UFC 297 takes place Saturday at Scotia Bank Arena in Toronto. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and early prelims on ESPN+.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 297.
