1U Dricus Du Plessis ML +108 (FD) / +110 (DK) (Patreon)

Hey folks, wasn't able to do a full writeup last night because I was wiped from jiu jitsu.

Why Dricus Du Plessis?

1. Proof of Concept: Du Plessis is 3-1 as a dog for 105% ROI (pre-UFC & within-UFC)

2. Du Plessis cashed at +108 against Tavares (closed favorite) & +300 vs. Whittaker.

3. Du Plessis more likely to have takedown and grappling upside:3a. DDP averages 2.72 takedowns & 1.1 SUB attempts per 15 mins.3b. Strickland averages < 1 takedown & .2 SUB attempts per 15 mins.

4. Du Plessis +2.98 Sig Strike Differential vs. Strickland +1.58 Sig Strike Differential4a. Du Plessis landing 6.95 Sig Strikes / Minutes vs. Strickland 5.82 Sig Strikes / Minute.4b. Du Plessis 4:0 KD Ratio in 6 UFC Fights vs. Strickland 6:3 KD Ratio in 20 UFC fights.5. Strickland has only had to defend 12 takedowns as a middleweight and 8 were laughably bad attempts by Hermansson. He got taken down by Abus Magomedov with relative ease on 1 out of 2 attempts, and he thwarted a single takedown attempt from Imavov & Jotko, DDP the strongest and most committed takedown threat of the bunch IMHO.

6. Du Plessis has the chance to become 1st South African UFC Champion & Canada has one of the biggest portions of the South African Diaspora  around the world.7. Height & Reach parity, but Du Plessis will be younger by ~2.5 to ~3 years younger; less miles.8. Narratives: -> Strickland anti-woke, anti-gay, fighting in Canada.-> Saying gay slurs at press conference when co-main is 2 lesbians fighting.-> First South African Champion; UFC Africa before Ngannou & PFL? -> Izzy Fight = True African Champion. Already had the faceoff, supposed to fight.-> Big South African Rugby team put out a hype video for Dricus.-> Sean seems emotional & volatile, Du Plessis seems calm & calculated pre-fight. Du Plessis walking, talking, and acting more like he is the world champion.