Dricus du Plessis may have been one of the happiest people in the building after Sean Strickland shocked the MMA world by defeating Khamzat Chimaev in the UFC 328 main event.
Strickland reclaimed the middleweight title with a grueling split-decision victory over Chimaev on Saturday night in Newark, handing “Borz” the first loss of his professional career and ending his title reign after just one defense.
Watching cageside was Du Plessis, who suddenly finds himself right back in the middle of the championship picture thanks to the result.
The South African previously defeated Strickland twice during his own title reign, first capturing the belt against him at UFC 297 before successfully defending it in their rematch at UFC 312.
However, Du Plessis later lost the title to Chimaev after being controlled for long stretches in their clash at UFC 319 last year.
Following UFC 328, “Stillknocks” made it clear he wasn’t surprised by how the fight unfolded.
Dricus du Plessis Believes Sean Strickland Broke Khamzat Chimaev’s Pace At UFC 328
“The fight went exactly the way I thought it would,” Du Plessis said in a backstage UFC interview. “Great, great fight by Strickland. Like I said, it’s so hard to keep that man on the ground.”
Du Plessis explained that Strickland’s ability to repeatedly work his way back to his feet eventually drained Chimaev’s gas tank and shifted the momentum of the fight.
“He is incredibly tough to hold down,” Du Plessis said. “He made Khamzat tired and that’s exactly what happened.”
The former champion also reiterated his belief that once the fight stayed standing for extended periods, Strickland held the advantage.
“And like I said, in the stand-up, [Khamzat] just won’t be able to hang with him,” Du Plessis added. “So congratulations.”
Du Plessis then jokingly closed his reaction with a line that immediately caught fans’ attention online.
“I guess this makes me world champion again.”
Videos circulating on social media also showed Du Plessis celebrating Strickland’s victory cageside, smiling and applauding after the judges announced the decision.
Although the UFC has not confirmed what comes next at middleweight, Strickland’s win potentially places Du Plessis in a strong position for a trilogy fight, given his two previous victories over the newly crowned champion.