UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis says Sean Strickland's insults will not affect him ahead of their bout at UFC 312 in Sydney.

With both fighters being deceptively difficult to kill, their first encounter back at UFC 297 ended up being a tactical, back-and-forth battle that saw Du Plessis narrowly scrape out a split decision win on the scorecards to become the new champion at 185 pounds.

This weekend's card sees Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis go head-to-head once again, but one key fight on the undercard has been scrapped