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UFC 297: Strickland vs. Du Plessis
VS
Sean Strickland
Sean Strickland
28-5 · USA
January 20, 2024 · Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Middleweight · 5 rounds · Main event
184.0lb
Weigh-in
184.8lb
Dricus Du Plessis def. Sean Strickland by S-DEC, R5 5:00
Performance
Round by round
SSTDKDCtrl
R1
Du Plessis18/512/300:28
Strickland34/750/000:00
R2
Du Plessis26/601/100:22
Strickland22/620/000:00
R3
Du Plessis29/840/000:00
Strickland31/870/000:00
R4
Du Plessis29/733/501:18
Strickland33/850/000:00
R5
Du Plessis35/860/200:00
Strickland53/990/000:00
Total
Du Plessis137/3546/1102:08
Strickland173/4080/000:00

Scorecards

Du Plessis vs Strickland

RdDerek ClearyEric ColónSal D'AmatoCommunity
R19-109-109-109-10
R210-910-910-99.6-9.4
R310-910-99-109.7-9.3
R410-910-910-910-9
R59-109-109-109-10
Total48-4748-4747-4847.3-47.7

Media (23 cards) · avg 4847 · 23 Du Plessis · 0 Strickland

Official cards + public consensus via MMA Decisions. Per round: Du Plessis-Strickland.

Pre-fight

The model's read going in

The walk-forward model's call at the time of the bout — persisted out-of-sample, with no hindsight about the result.

Prediction
Du PlessisWin probabilityStrickland
70.2%29.8%
KO / TKO
29%
Submission
5%
Decision
66%
Expected fight time: 19.7 min
Retrospective pick: the walk-forward model's call at the time of the fight — persisted out-of-sample, with no hindsight about the result.
What drives the pick

Each bar is a feature's push on the model from the center axis. Red pushes toward Du Plessis, blue toward Strickland. Tap a bar for why.

Predicted outcomes
Du Plessis70%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO23%33%26%
Submission5%7%14%
Decision42%60%10%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes121 (52164)act 137
Takedowns0.5 (0.02.1)act 6
Strickland30%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO6%18%25%
Submission0%2%6%
Decision24%80%18%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes113 (48154)act 173
Takedowns0.7 (0.02.8)act 0
Combined totals~234 sig strikes~1.2 takedownsmkt —
How it ends
mkt —
R112%
R29%
R37%
R44%
R53%
Distance65%
Fighter props
Most sig. strikes
Du Plessis
51.7%-108
Strickland
+10847.9%
Most takedownstie 47.8%
Du Plessis
22.2%+135
Strickland
-13530.0%
Significant strikes — over/under
Du Plessis
Expected: 120.9
121
Over 121
39.5%
+152
Exactly 121
0.4%
push
Under 121
60.1%
-152
0152303
Strickland
Expected: 113.0
113
Over 113
39.6%
+152
Exactly 113
0.4%
push
Under 113
60.0%
-152
0142283
Takedowns — over/under
Du Plessis
Expected: 0.5
0.5
Over 0.5
29.0%
+245
Under 0.5
71.0%
-245
035
Strickland
Expected: 0.7
0.5
Over 0.5
36.2%
+176
Under 0.5
63.8%
-176
035

Odds are model-implied (no real prop market is priced for these). The “most” prices are draw-no-bet — a tie (for takedowns, usually 0–0) is a push, so each side is priced off its chance of winning given a result, while the % shown is the raw chance of landing strictly more. Drag a line in half-point steps: a half line (e.g. 2.5) is a clean over/under, while a whole number adds a third outcome — landing exactly on it, a push — so over, exact and under sum to 100%. On a whole number the over/under odds are draw-no-bet (priced off the decisive mass, since the push refunds), so the two sides stay mirror images rather than implying an arbitrage.

Expected fight time 19.7 min. Predicted-output ranges are percentiles of the model’s simulated fights: sig strikes the middle 50% (25th–75th); takedowns the wider 10th–90th, since they’re 0 in most fights so a narrow band would collapse to 0. Win-by-method = win probability × that fighter’s own method split: the model forecasts how the fight ends, and that forecast is divided between the corners by each fighter’s finishing record — UFC wins in full, earlier-career wins at half weight, as of fight night — reconciled so the fighters’ totals still equal their win probabilities and the methods still total the fight-level forecast above. “Equity” is each of those over that fighter’s win % — how they win given that they win — so a column adds to 100%, and it differs by corner. A fighter with no classifiable wins at any level leans on the fight-level split. “How it ends” is the model’s round-of-finish split. “Mkt” is the de-vigged market prop (consensus across books), shown for context, not as a betting signal; rounds & totals slots fill as that data lands. Percentages are apportioned by largest remainder, so each set adds to its total exactly and an individual figure can sit a point off its own rounding.

Model vs market
Final
ModelMarketGapLine
To win
Du Plessis70.2%50.6%+19.6-112
Strickland29.8%49.4%−19.6-107
By method
Du Plessis by KO/TKO20.4%26.1%−5.7+216
Du Plessis by submission3.7%14.0%−10.3+488
Du Plessis by decision46.0%9.9%+36.1+736
Strickland by KO/TKO8.7%25.5%−16.8+224
Strickland by submission1.6%6.2%−4.6+1221
Strickland by decision19.6%18.3%+1.3+351
Total rounds (over)
Over 1.5 rds88.2%65.6%+22.6-238
Over 2.5 rds79.0%59.9%+19.1-122
Over 3.5 rds72.3%40.3%+32.0+132
Over 4.5 rds68.4%32.3%+36.1+188
Goes the distance
Fight goes to decision65.6%29.9%+35.7+213

Market % is the de-vigged (no-vig) consensus across the books that price both fighters; the line is the average across books with the min–max range in parentheses. Gap is the model minus the market in points (+ = the model rates that outcome above the market). Thin or one-sided markets are flagged or left blank rather than shown as a fabricated %. Shown for context, not as a bet — the closing line is the sharpest public price and the model trails it on average. For 5-round bouts the model splits its round-3+ finish mass into rounds 3–5 by the historical within-bucket rate, so the over-3.5 / 4.5 lines carry a model estimate.

Trait web
78.1Striking71.5
Du Plessis +6.6
61.0Grappling55.5
Du Plessis +5.6
Str/minStr accStr defAbsorbedTD/15TD accTD defSubs
Hover a point to see the values
Du PlessisStrickland
Tale of the tape
Ratings (Elo)
1647
Pound-for-pound
1675
1643
Divisional
1638
1533
Striking offense
1542
1503
Striking defense
1490
1508
Grappling offense
1458
1510
Grappling defense
1617
Physical
30 yrs
Age
32 yrs
6'1"
Height
6'1"
76"
Reach
76"
Switch
Stance
Orthodox
Striking (UFC career)
6.95
Strikes landed / min
5.82
56%
Strike accuracy
42%
3.79
Strikes absorbed / min
4.24
53%
Strike defense
63%
Grappling (UFC career)
2.72
Takedowns / 15 min
0.92
50%
Takedown accuracy
64%
40%
Takedown defense
84%
1.1
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.2
Form & résumé
100%
UFC win rate
75%
+6
Win/loss streak
+3
100%
Last-5 win rate
60%
83%
Finish rate
33%
Recent opp. quality
196
Days since last fight
133
Recent form (last 5 UFC)
Dricus Du Plessis
  • WRobert WhittakerKO/TKO R2
    Close +2606mo before
  • WDerek BrunsonKO/TKO R2
    Close -23311mo before
  • WDarren TillSUB R3
    Close -1981y 1mo before
  • WBrad TavaresU-DEC R3
    Close -1761y 7mo before
  • WTrevin GilesKO/TKO R2
    Close -1162y 6mo before
Sean Strickland
  • WIsrael AdesanyaU-DEC R5
    Close +4104mo before
  • WAbus MagomedovKO/TKO R2
    Close -1627mo before
  • WNassourdine ImavovU-DEC R5
    Close +1131y before
  • LJared CannonierS-DEC R5
    Close -1031y 1mo before
  • LAlex PereiraKO/TKO R1
    Close -1281y 7mo before
Du Plessis — win / loss by method
Record: 20-2-0

Bar length is fight count (largest bar = full width); shading splits finishes by round and decisions by unanimous vs split — tap a bar for the round-by-round count.

KO/TKO
9 wins, 1 loss
W
45% of wins
L
50% of losses
Submission
10 wins, 1 loss
W
50% of wins
L
50% of losses
Decision
1 win, 0 losses
W
5% of wins
L
0% of losses
UFC
6win0loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
4 (67%)KO/TKO() 0
1 (17%)Submission() 0
1 (17%)Decision() 0
Non-UFC
14win2loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
5 (36%)KO/TKO(50%) 1
9 (64%)Submission(50%) 1
0 (0%)Decision(0%) 0
Strickland — win / loss by method
Record: 28-5-0

Bar length is fight count (largest bar = full width); shading splits finishes by round and decisions by unanimous vs split — tap a bar for the round-by-round count.

KO/TKO
11 wins, 2 losses
W
39% of wins
L
40% of losses
Submission
4 wins, 0 losses
W
14% of wins
L
0% of losses
Decision
13 wins, 3 losses
W
46% of wins
L
60% of losses
UFC
15win5loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
4 (27%)KO/TKO(40%) 2
1 (7%)Submission(0%) 0
10 (67%)Decision(60%) 3
Non-UFC
13win0loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
7 (54%)KO/TKO() 0
3 (23%)Submission() 0
3 (23%)Decision() 0

Profiles

Experience
Du Plessis
Strickland
6
UFC fights
20
55.1 min · 9.2 avg
Octagon time
294.3 min · 14.7 avg
13y 0m
Career length
18y 4m
UFC schedule strength

Opponents' records on fight night — toggle their full cross-promotional record vs UFC bouts only.

Du Plessis
Strickland
110W–29L · 79.1%
Overall
333W–82L · 80.2%
110W–29L · 79.1%
Wins
267W–67L · 79.9%
0W–0L
Losses
66W–15L · 81.5%
Non-UFC schedule strength
Du Plessis
Strickland
135W–46L · 74.6%
Overall
83W–34L · 70.9%
111W–41L · 73.0%
Wins
83W–34L · 70.9%
24W–5L · 82.8%
Losses
0W–0L
Distance striking
Du Plessis
Strickland
7.33
Landed / min
6.37
50.8%
Accuracy
40.4%
56.0%
Defense
64.5%
1.09
Knockdowns / 15 min
0.31
65.3%
Time at distance
82.1%
Grappling & control
Du Plessis
Strickland
2.72
Takedowns / 15 min
0.92
50.0%
Takedown accuracy
64.3%
40.0%
Takedown defense
84.0%
1.09
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.20
66.4%
Control share
65.0%
Strike target map
Du Plessis
  • Head67%(255)div 63%
  • Body13%(51)div 20%
  • Legs20%(77)div 17%
Strickland
  • Head82%(1,401)div 63%
  • Body13%(223)div 20%
  • Legs5%(90)div 17%

Where each fighter lands significant strikes (career). “div” = the weight-class average.

Dricus Du Plessis
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

Per-fight: SS & TD shown landed/attempted; Close = consensus closing line.

Sean Strickland
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

Per-fight: SS & TD shown landed/attempted; Close = consensus closing line.