South Africa’s Dricus Du Plessis is the new middleweight champion after scoring a split decision over American Sean Strickland in the main event on Saturday at UFC 297 in Toronto.
Strickland’s face was bleeding badly in the fourth round as Du Plessis connected with several shots.
But Strickland battled back in the fifth and final round, landing several big blows.
It was the ninth win in a row for Du Plessis.
There was plenty of animosity between the two after a heated news conference in December and a fight in the stands at UFC 296.
More to come.
