Chael Sonnen has joined the fight world in marking Feb. 8, 2025, on their calendars for UFC 312, where Sean Strickland will face middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis in Sydney.
This rematch comes after Strickland lost his title to Du Plessis via split decision at UFC 297 this past January. The razor-close bout has sparked speculation that the belt could change hands again come fight night.
While Strickland maintains he won their first encounter, Sonnen firmly disagrees.
If there has ever been a guy that turns out to be one heck of a lot better than I knew he was, it’s Dricus Du Plessis,” Sonnen said during a recent episode of Good Guy / Bad Guy on ESPN MMA's YouTube channel. “The other side of that coin, Sean Strickland has talked himself up very much and has a high level of confidence because he believes he beat him the first time. He believes he dominated him. That’s not what I saw.
As a matter of fact, I’m not sure Sean didn’t lose all five rounds on my scorecard. Very close, real tight, but at the end of it, if you got to go a 10-9, I’m not sure I didn’t give them all to Dricus. The only reason I’m saying this is I don’t want Sean to necessarily fall for what he’s believing. I want him to study this guy, I want him to have a different game plan for this guy, I want him to really take Dricus seriously.
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Sonnen believes that Strickland, now in the role of challenger, will approach the fight with heightened motivation.
The moment he lost that belt, boy, that care meter went through the roof. And I do believe Sean is going to fight better trying to regain something than to defend something. That’s my own belief, but that’s the fight to make. Winner draws in (Khamzat) Chimaev, I can drink to that.
The stakes are high for both fighters as they prepare for what promises to be another thrilling showdown.