Du Plessis vs Strickland 2 is primed to be an excellent rematch

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Some people may not like it but times change and right now at this point in time, this rematch this evening between (C) Dricus du Plessis and Sean Strickland for the Middleweight Championship is truly a fight between the best in the world. I feel that way anyway. Some people may find the matchup underwhelming but these guys genuinely earned this.

Dricus feels like an anomaly to many, mostly due to aesthetics. Du Plessis fights like a dude from the 1940's or something. He looks like he doesn't have a plan out there. He's awkward, abrupt and wild at times. But time and time again he just proves everyone wrong. I actually like his style, maybe that's easy to say since he's winning but sheesh, he's not simply winning he's finishing guys and he's won the darn title AND defended it. The man hasn't even lost a fight in this decade, in fact. People claim Dricus is not fundamentally sound but I think that's a misconception in my opinion. I think he's got underrated IQ in the octagon. I feel as though he explodes the millisecond he sees an opportunity and doesn't flinch or waste time. When he sees an opening he doesn't think twice about it, and doesn't think to look pretty. Truly fearless and confident. Sometimes it's beneficial to seize the moment than to always prioritize fundamentals. In these moments he chooses power over efficiency. I don't know, this is just how I feel. Everyone gets caught up in the 'ideal' fighting styles but they forget there's many ways to win a fight and no fight style is really the 'correct' style. Dricus seems to just fight, and embrace the chaos at an impressive rate. I've noticed his gas tank is wayyyyy better than people realize and 95 percent of the time he is fundamentally sound. He's just literally built different and fighters should probably not treat Dricus like he's going to fight a textbook fight. He is also a good grappler and appears to be silly strong.

Sean Strickland on the other hand is a wildcard in his own right. He's like a Max Holloway/Nate Diaz hybrid. He is a pure bully in the cage and is fairly good at getting in his opponent's head at times due to his outspokenness. The guy is a lot of things but you really have to admit he is a warrior. Gas tank for days and will not back up. He is arguably a one trick pony though and as I write about this I'm realizing that unless he fights at his A+ flawless best, he may have to be an MMA fighter tonight and not just be a boxer. Perhaps he should actually kick, or even push Dricus on the cage if you don't want to truly wrestle. Surprise the man even slightly.

These guys fought a pretty close fight last time they fought and I think both fighters know they're capable of beating one another.

Here's their first battle.

They're both in their early 30's and yeah, this is a massive legacy fight to say the least.

I believe Dricus will win but this has potential for a crazy fight for sure, these guys don't quit and are both former champs. I think the only shocking outcome possible would be a Strickland victory by submission. The odds on betting sites for that happening must be ridiculous.

Otherwise the card is a bit underwhelming. I'd love to see Tatiana Suarez win the Strawweight Championship though! I think she's excellent.

Should be a good night.