Challenging for middleweight gold for the first time inside the Octagon, South African contender, Dricus du Plessis has opened as a decent betting favorite to beat Sean Strickland in their championship clash at UFC 297 on January 20. in Toronto, Canada.
Strickland, the current undisputed middleweight champion, most recently headlined UFC 293 back in September in Sydney, Australia, turning in a shocking unanimous decision win over two-time champion, Israel Adesanya – securing one of the biggest upset wins in the history of the promotion.
As for Dricus du Plessis, the surging number two ranked contender, earned his first crack at middleweight gold back in July, landing a stunning second round TKO win over Robert Whittaker, becoming the sole fighter other than the above-mentioned, Adesanya to defeat the former titleholder since his middleweight debut back in 2014.