GDT: UFC 312: du Plessis vs. Strickland 2

I had it 4-1 DDP giving Strickland the 3rd but stream was a little choppy. 5-0 is understandable. Credit to Strickland for fighting through that busted beak and showing love in the interview. Khamzat will destroy DDP but it has been a great run.

Overall, bad fight card. Sometimes the weak ones on paper turn out to be fun, but this one was subpar, no way around it.
 
Yeah a truly awful ppv imo

People think Khamzat is a lock to beat Dricus but I wouldn’t be so sure- he struggled to beat Usman who was past his prime and fighting up a weight class. I think if Dricus survives the first round he wins the fight- he has superior physicality to pretty much every relevant fighter in the division



Teixeira is a fade waiting to happen imo. Sad I missed out on the Steele fade, that line had gotten way too wide. Salkilld is better on the ground than on the feet and he starched somebody in like 15 seconds so that’s a good sign for his future.


I got absolutely mutilated on the bets tonight
 
  • Like
Reactions: Taytro
I don’t consider Dricus boring at all
If anything, his unpredictability makes him more entertaining.

Yeah a truly awful ppv imo

People think Khamzat is a lock to beat Dricus but I wouldn’t be so sure- he struggled to beat Usman who was past his prime and fighting up a weight class. I think if Dricus survives the first round he wins the fight- he has superior physicality to pretty much every relevant fighter in the division



Teixeira is a fade waiting to happen imo. Sad I missed out on the Steele fade, that line had gotten way too wide. Salkilld is better on the ground than on the feet and he starched somebody in like 15 seconds so that’s a good sign for his future.


I got absolutely mutilated on the bets tonight

Didnt Khamzat also break his hand in the first round against Usman?
 
  • Like
Reactions: Taytro and CDJ
I've become a fan of Dricus. Not the most aesthetically pleasing style at times (to be clear he's not boring by any means, just awkward/janky) but a very well rounded fighter and an absolute unit, isn't afraid of anybody and generally carries himself with a lot of class, besides the whole African champ thing Izzy goaded him into.

Kicking the ass of a knob like Sean Strickland's also helps.

I don’t consider Dricus boring at all
Yeah, it's not fair to lump Dricus into the same bucket as Strickland's boring point fighting safe style. DDP has plenty of finishes and has shown he can win in many different ways. He's a bit janky and awkward, but certainly not boring.
 
  • Like
Reactions: CDJ
Strickland is the Pittsburgh Steelers of the MW division. Talks a big game and then tries to win by only playing defense and pitter-patter offense which is pretty good against lower level competition, but (almost always) falls short against the elite. I don't know if that translates, but as a Steeler fan, that's spot on :laugh:

Weili is a beast. Beat Suarez at her own game. Suarez looked like Maia out there. All she had was takedown attempts. Absolutely no threat standing and once she started to gas, the takedowns weren't even that close.
 
  • Like
Reactions: CDJ
If anything, his unpredictability makes him more entertaining.


Didnt Khamzat also break his hand in the first round against Usman?
Good call, forgot about that. It’s interesting that Burns- who fought at 155- gave Khamzat his other toughest test. DDP is way more physical and definitely more awkward so it will present Khamzat an interesting challenge if it gets out of round 1. He’s definitely not Burns on the ground but I watched DDP run through an entire Gracie quintet team by himself so he’s not a slouch with his jits.

Counterpoint to that is post-USADA Khamzat ripped Whittaker’s jaw off his face in like a minute so that’s terrifying
 
It was a terrible card on paper and delivered as such.

That includes the main event. There was nothing intriguing about this rematch for me. I thought the first fight sucked despite it being close and this one was no different. At least DDP left no doubt this time and was the clear winner. Looking forward to seeing him against Khamzat assuming that happens next. I'll pick Khamzat in that one but I wouldn't completely rule out DDP as he's really good, well-rounded, and incredibly strong for a MW. That Khamzat pressure and grappling is going to be a big change of pace for him after some of his recent fights.

Hopefully that's the last of Strickland in title fights for the foreseeable future. Forget the character and him being a dickhead, his style is just awful to watch. Zero entertainment value there. Someone once called him the Jon Fitch of strikers and I'll never forget that.

I'll fully admit I was wrong about the co-main. I picked Saurez to win due to her wrestling and boy was that incorrect. Weili showed she's still top dog in that division and was very impressive. Certainly not the most entertaining fight but one of those "there's levels to this" type of performances. Probably time for the Valentina fight.

This Teixeira dude is a giant. Fight was quick but he looked great.
 

Ad

Upcoming events

Ad