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.
“The jab was f*cking beautiful. You don’t see jabs like that in MMA. The jabs did what they were supposed to do. Both of (Du Plessis’) eyes were swelling shut. He slowed down in the third and fourth. Du Plessis kept coming forward, then mixed up takedowns and punches. I had it even going into the fifth round. I was like, ‘This is the round to see who wants it.’ They both started to turn it up a little bit.”
While the scoring criteria does not (in theory) abide by such guidelines, White said he’s of the opinion a title challenger should have to definitely take the title from a champion in order to be named the victor.
“It’s just one of those type fights,” White said. “But I’m also one of those guys who believes you’ve got to take it from the champion.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 297.
