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UFC 312: DDP vs Strickland 2

Champion Dricus Du Plessis rematches Sean Strickland at UFC 312 in Sydney, Australia! DDP is looking for his 2nd title defense while Strickland rides a win streak heading into the rematch. Both men have out-competed almost the entirety of the MW division, leaving this rematch as one of the only plausible fights to be made.

Many fans remain hopeful that Strickland will avenge his loss to reclaim the title from DDP, but some patterns in UFC title fight history allude to a different story possibly being written.

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Patterns in UFC History

Throughout UFC’s history, there have been several instances of a fighter losing a title fight by a decision only to be finished in an eventual title rematch. Several examples of this pattern include:

🔸 Alexander Volkanovski vs Islam Makhachev

  • Makhachev def. Volkanovski via UD at UFC 284 on February 11th, 2023
    • Volkanovski lost title fight
  • Makhachev def. Volkanovski via KO at UFC 294 on October 21st, 2003
    • Volkanovski lost title rematch

Photo by Nick Laham/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

🔸 Junior dos Santos vs Cain Velasquez

  • Velasquez def. JDS via UD at UFC 155 on December 29th, 2012
    • JDS lost belt in title fight
  • Velasquez def. JDS via TKO at UFC 166 on October 19th, 2013
    • JDS lost title rematch

Jorge Masvidal and Kamaru Usman | Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

🔸 Jorge Masvidal vs Kamaru Usman

  • Usman def. Masvidal via UD at UFC 251 on July 11th, 2020
    • Masvidal lost title fight
  • Usman def. Masvidal via KO at UFC 261 on April 24th, 2021
    • Masvidal lost title rematch

Photo | UFC Zuffa

🔸 BJ Penn vs Georges St. Pierre

  • GSP def. Penn via SD at UFC 58 on March 4th, 2006
    • Penn lost non-title fight
  • GSP def. Penn via TKO in at UFC 94 on January 31st, 2009
    • Penn lost title fight rematch

Photo by Buda Mendes/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

🔸 Deiveson Figueiredo vs Brandon Moreno

  • Moreno & Figueiredo DRAW at UFC 256 on December 12th, 2020
    • Figueiredo keeps belt after title fight
  • Moreno def. Figueiredo via SUB at UFC 263 on June 12th, 2021
    • Figueiredo lost belt in title fight rematch
  • Moreno def. Figueiredo via TKO at UFC 283 on January 21st, 2023
    • Figueiredo lost belt in title fight rematch

Photo | Getty Images

Tough Son of a Gun

History is known to repeat itself, but if anyone has something to say about that it’s Sean Strickland. Strickland has only been finished twice in 35 total career fights. Of his 6 losses, 4 of them are by decision and 2 of those decisions were split on the judges scorecards.

Aside from the tough “American bravado” we see Strickland portrayed as on social media, he is genuinely a very durable fighter who is nearly impossible to take out. He is great at slipping punches and can eat some big shots as well. His “Philly-shell” style of fighting is perfect for minimizing damage.

However, standing opposite of Strickland, defending his title, is an extremely dangerous fighter in DDP. Possibly motivated to make more of a statement in the rematch after beating Strickland by SD, DDP could come out much more aggressive in this fight. DDP has 20 career finishes and only 2 career decision victories (one of which being against Strickland).

Who takes this rematch? Strickland’s grit & durability or DDP’s finishing ability?

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By Published On: February 4th, 2025Categories: Latest UFC News: Results, Rumors & More at Home Of Fight