WATCH: Dricus Du Plessis breaks Sean Strickland's nose at UFC 312

Dricus Du Plessis broke Sean Strickland's nose during their bout at UFC 312. The Middleweight Champion successfully defended his title by claiming a win with a unanimous decision of 50-45, 50-45, 49-46. Dricus claimed his strategy was to stay calm, composed, and felt a unanimous decision was on the cards against an opponent like Strickland.

Also Read: WATCH: WWE Hall of Famer and US President Donald Trump attends UFC 309

Sean did not have a great night at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney. He started the match slowly in the first round and a switch-kick upstairs helped him to gain the upper hand momentarily. However, Dricus returned to the bout and targeted Strickland's legs. Du Plessis delivered a left and a switch kick upstairs to claim the second round.

Watch Dricus Du Plessis breaking Sean Strickland's nose at UFC 312 here -

Dricus du Plessis seemingly broke Sean Strickland's nose with a right hand in the 4th round 😳 #UFC312pic.twitter.com/N6obgVeRik

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) February 9, 2025

Sean's front leg was damaged and the South African delivered an elbow and a spinning back fist. Du Plessis took the third round and dominated Sean in the fourth round by breaking his nose. Blood poured out of his nose with no stoppage and Du Plessis claimed a win via a unanimous decision of 50-45, 50-45, 49-46.

'It was hard once I saw him grabbing at his nose' - Dricus Du Plessis after breaking Sean Strickland's nose

Du Plessis spoke about the bout and claimed he was attempting to knock Sean out of the match. While he was incapable of doing so, Dricus said it was hard to see Sean with a broken nose and blood flowing out. He claimed it took 30 minutes for him to get back his composure to fight.

"I'm trying to knock this man out, to knock him out is next to impossible. I'd love another round, but that’s not the game. I gave it my all, I’m sorry I couldn’t get him out of here. It was hard once I saw him grabbing at his nose, [to stay calm]. It took me about 30 seconds to a minute to get everything back to composure," said Du Plessis.

Dricus added that his game plan was to stay calm and composed. "The game plan was to stay calm, and that was hard once I saw him grabbing at his nose like that. It's like having someone in front of you who is rocked," added Du Plessis.