Sean Strickland reclaimed the UFC middleweight title by split decision over Khamzat Chimaev in the UFC 328 main event, and former champion Dricus du Plessis had a front-row view of the action in Newark, New Jersey.
Strickland’s win at Prudential Center on Sat., May 9, 2026, came in a closely contested fight that went to the judges, with du Plessis watching cageside and quickly sharing his reaction afterward.
"Yeah, so the fight went exactly the way I thought it would," du Plessis said. "Great, great fight by Strickland. As I said, it is so hard to keep that man on the ground. He is incredibly tough to hold down. And he even made Khamzat tired — and that’s exactly what happened."
Du Plessis also praised Strickland’s stand-up and hinted at what the result means for him personally, adding, "I knew that in the stand-up, Khamzat would not be able to hang with him," before concluding, "So, congratulations. I guess that makes me world champion again."
Du Plessis first defeated Strickland via split decision at UFC 297 to capture the middleweight title, then beat him again in a rematch at UFC 312, making Strickland 0-2 against him. Du Plessis has not fought since losing the belt to Chimaev last year but is expected to return around International Fight Week.
