After heated press conference debates and face-offs, the moment finally arrived on Saturday night. The first main event of a PPV card in the UFC 2024 season. It was unclear beforehand how bitter the rivalry between Sean Strickland (C) and Dricus Du Plessis truly was. After Bruce Buffer's introduction, the two opponents exchanged "touch gloves." Thus, the fight for middleweight gold was approached with respect.

But after referee Mark Goddard gave the green light, all respect was forgotten. Strickland pushed forward early, while Du Plessis tried to score with powerful overhands. The champion repeatedly managed to break through the South African's guard with his jab, causing severe swelling around Du Plessis's eye early on.

This didn't faze the challenger, however. From the second round onward, he was the one dictating the fight. Du Plessis was on the so-called "front foot," always moving forward, and boasted a high takedown rate. He brought the champion down three times in his first four attempts. Nevertheless, Strickland managed to escape these situations and repeatedly hammered his jab toward Du Plessis's left eye.

After four rounds, Du Plessis had a slight advantage on the scorecards, simply by setting the pace and chasing the champion around the octagon. This is especially notable given that Du Plessis went to a fourth round for the first time in his 23rd professional MMA fight.

This became apparent in round 5. Both fighters were extremely exhausted, with the Challenger's stamina at its lowest. Strickland knew he was probably slightly outmatched up until that point and therefore had to take the initiative. He succeeded, landing good combinations and winning round 5 on all three judges' boards.

The fight was over, and no one knew who would take home the gold belt. Even the American commentators weren't willing to make a prediction. However, it was clear that a Du Plessis victory was slightly more likely, as he was leading 3-1 after four rounds on many expert lists. With this starting position, the fight went into a decision, which Bruce Buffer announced.

48-47 Strickland, 48-47 Du Plessis, 48-47 Du Plessis. Dricus Du Plessis prevailed by split decision, the closest possible fight result. Thus, for the first time in history, a UFC championship belt goes to South Africa. Hats off to the new champ. In a proper brawl, he silenced critics who doubted his stamina and is the deserved middleweight champion.