UFC 297 Technical Breakdown: How strategy can beat technique

How a smarter approach allowed Dricus du Plessis to do what Israel Adesanya could not

Illustration by Chris Rini

Impressive, but not good

In the immediate aftermath of UFC 297, fight fans began to process what Dricus du Plessis’ hard fought decision victory over Sean Strickland meant for the division. Some heralded the fight as an action-packed scrap that served to cleanse their palettes from the bad taste left by Israel Adesanya’s reign as champion. Others criticized the UFC 297 main event for the sloppy technique on display and recalled with nostalgia the periods of middleweight history that were dominated by technical giants like Anderson Silva.

Let’s be clear: the UFC 297 main event may have been an entertaining fight with an uncertain winner and it could even be correctly described as an impressive performance from the newly minted champion, but that doesn’t make the fight good.

Good fights are indeed fiercely competitive and come with the feeling that we are witnessing two athletes giving it their all, but they also need to contain a level of technical and strategic prowess that meets the standard set by contemporary fighters. Dricus du Plessis vs Sean Strickland fails to meet that criteria, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t anything more to say about the fight.

After all, there is, in a sense, a transitive property of impressive performances. If Strickland’s shockingly one-sided victory over Adesanya was indeed worthy of praise and if du Plessis’ equally unexpected trouncing of the well-respected Robert Whittaker was impressive, how could we not extend some of that appreciation to the winner of the resulting showdown?

The Strickland Puzzle

Sean Strickland has a very unique style, even if the outlines of it are well known at this point. Both the strengths and weaknesses of his game have been seen time and time again throughout his decade on the UFC roster.

Everything starts with his stance. Strickland stands upright and narrow with his hands close to his chest. His unique approach to defense is what people generally take notice of and it’s emblematic of someone who spends a large majority of his training time in hard sparring.

Rather than relying on a tight high guard to block shots or on deft head movement to slip and roll underneath punches, Strickland generally leans back and uses his arms actively to swat away punches and obstruct their path. It’s a very reactive defense that is reliant on having a keen awareness of what your opponent is throwing.

The strengths and weaknesses of Strickland’s boxing defense are well established. He relies on a backward lean and active parries and blocks.