TORONTO – Dana White had the UFC 297 main event a tie as it entered the final round Saturday at Scotiabank Arena. While he admits the fight as a whole was close, he did score the final round – and the fight – in favor of Sean Strickland.
One of the judges, Sal D’Amato, agreed with White’s assessment. The other two did not – and that’s who ultimately mattered most. Dricus Du Plessis (21-2 MMA, 7-0 UFC) defeated Strickland (28-6 MMA, 15-6 UFC) via split decision (47-48, 48-47, 48-47) to claim the promotion’s middleweight title.
“It’s funny. We were just looking at how the media had scored it: right down the middle. I had it 2-2 going into the last round and I thought Strickland won the last round,” White told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a post-fight news conference Saturday. “Guys who were sitting at the same table had it the other way. It was a close fight. I thought Strickland looked great in the first two rounds.
