What happened To Sean Strickland's Nose At UFC 312?

Sean Strickland Injury Update: What happened To Sean Strickland’s Nose At UFC 312?

Sean Strickland's nose took a brutal hit at UFC 312 against Dricus Du Plessis, leaving fans wondering about his injury!

What happened To Sean Strickland's Nose At UFC 312?

Fight injuries in the UFC have given fans some memorable moments over the years. From Anderson Silva’s broken leg to Robbie Lawler and Rory MacDonald’s blood-soaked war, these moments stick in fans’ memories. The sport’s history is filled with fighters pushing through incredible pain like when Rich Franklin fought an entire round with a broken arm? Or when Diego Sanchez looked like he had gone ten rounds with a baseball bat? But sometimes an injury comes along that makes even hardened fight fans wince, and that’s exactly what happened at UFC 312.

Sean Strickland entered his rematch with Dricus Du Plessis hoping to reclaim the middleweight title he lost just last year. Instead, he left with a nose pointing in directions that human noses aren’t supposed to point. In their first fight, Strickland blamed a headbutt for blood gushing from his eye. This time around, there was no debate about what caused the damage: Du Plessis’ fists connected clean with Strickland’s face.

Dricus du Plessis seemingly broke Sean Strickland's nose with a right hand in the 4th round 😳 #UFC312 pic.twitter.com/N6obgVeRik
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) February 9, 2025

Also Read: UFC 236 Slugfest Gets Inducted In 2025 UFC Hall Of Fame Class

Sean Strickland Injury Update

According to Sean Strickland himself, Du Plessis broke his nose in six different places during their five-round battle. But in true Strickland fashion, he treated this potentially fight-ending injury like it was just a minor inconvenience. The former champ claimed he reset his own nose three times during the fight, joking that Hollywood makes nose-setting look way harder than it actually is.

“Couldn’t ask for a better life…ALSO they make setting a broken nose look way harder in movies. I think I had to reset it 3 times in the fight. At this point I might be an expert lol!”

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A post shared by Sean Strickland (@stricklandmma)

The injury was so severe that UFC commentator Joe Rogan, who has seen his fair share of carnage over the years, repeatedly called for the fight to be stopped. But Strickland, showing the kind of toughness that makes fight fans both admire and worry about fighters, kept pushing forward (although he backed away while resetting his nose).

The Aftermath Of UFC 312 – Du Plessis vs. Strickland

Despite looking like he would gone a few rounds with a sledgehammer, Sean Strickland managed to break Michael Bisping’s UFC middleweight record for significant strikes landed with 1,465. That’s quite an achievement for someone breathing through a very painful nose halfway through the fight.

The loss might sting, but Strickland’s toughness earned him respect from everyone watching. This included Du Plessis, who called him an “absolute warrior” in a surprisingly heartfelt post-fight comment. Now the question is: will future opponents target what might become Strickland’s weak point?

(Image Credit: WildMMA – X)

Dricus Du Plessis

Sean Strickland

UFC 312

Zaid Quraishi

mma

I am a dedicated MMA and Boxing content writer at The Playoffs. I was instantly hooked on MMA after watching the fight between Lyoto Machida vs. Gegard Mousasi back in 2014, and since then, i have been an avid writer with a deep love for the sport and its techniques, providing readers with a thorough understanding of the sport. My favorite aspect of working at The Playoffs is the creative freedom it provides. The diverse range of topics, from listicles and SEO to news articles, keeps me engaged and motivates me to continuously improve my skills! I aim to capture the excitement of the combat sports world in my writing, acting as the middleman between fighters and their die-hard fans. It is kind of like a referee, but with words!