Dricus Du Plessis is now in his fourth year on the UFC roster, but the South African standout only truly started to feel comfortable inside the Octagon last time out against Robert Whittaker in July.
“That was me getting back into it and finding my footing in the Octagon,” said Du Plessis, who is set to challenge Sean Strickland for the middleweight title in the main event of UFC 297 this weekend at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. “After my debut, because of COVID, I couldn’t fight for almost 10 months, and then directly after that fight, it was a whole year that I couldn’t fight again because of COVID, because we couldn’t travel anywhere.
RELATED:Inside The Main Event Numbers|Strickland vs Du Plessis Countdown
“I had those two fights — one fight, 10 months off, another fight, one year off. Then I get back, fight Brad Tavares, which is a tough fight in itself, and after that, it was July, December, March, then July —just fight, fight, fight.”
Four fights in 12 months produced four wins and three finishes, with only Tavares making it to the scorecards, with Du Plessis elevating his record to 6-0 under the UFC banner and establishing himself as the No. 1 contender in the 185-pound weight class, setting the stage for a showdown with Israel Adesanya.
Dricus Du Plessis of South Africa punches Robert Whittaker of New Zealand in a middleweight fight during the UFC 290 event at T-Mobile Arena on July 08, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
The two had previously engaged in a war of words and seemed like an obvious pairing to headline the UFC’s return to Australia in September, but when the time came for the title fight to be announced, Du Plessis was unable to compete, left recovering from an injury sustained in his UFC 290 demolition of the former champion Whittaker.
Strickland was tabbed to face Adesanya and ventured to Sydney, where he shocked the MMA world by taking the fight to “The Last Stylebender,” dropping him in the first round and posting a dominant decision win to claim the middleweight strap.
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“I was shocked when that happened,” Du Plessis said of Strickland’s victory, echoing a sentiment that was shared throughout the MMA community. “Kudos to Sean Strickland —he was absolutely brilliant and deserved everything that came to him. He stepped up on short notice, stepped up in a big, big way.
“People thought I was disappointed (with the result),” continued the South African, who has won eight straight contests and carries a 20-2 record into his first UFC title fight this weekend. “I was disappointed because I couldn’t fight and I’m a fighter. I wasn’t disappointed that I couldn’t fight Adesanya or fight for the belt; I always knew things were going to work out the way that they should.
If they weren’t going to give me the title shot, I would fight the next guy until I do get my title shot. In my heart and in the world, everybody knew I was the No. 1 contender.”
Dricus Du Plessis Sits Down With Jon Anik | UFC 297
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Dricus Du Plessis Sits Down With Jon Anik | UFC 297
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This weekend, he gets his opportunity.
While the build to this fight has featured heated exchanges at press events and in the media, and a scuffle in the crowd at UFC 296, the stylistic component of this weekend’s main event is fascinating, as well.
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Both Strickland and Du Plessis are truly unique in terms of how they move and attack inside the Octagon — the former working behind a Philly shell defensive posture with constant forward pressure and high-volume output; the latter brandishing a herky-jerky style where he constantly looks tired, but never stops coming forward and attacking.
“I think Sean Strickland does what he does extremely, extremely well, and that’s a similarity I have with Sean,” said Du Plessis, who held two titles simultaneously under the EFC banner back home in South Africa and traded the KSW welterweight strap with Roberto Soldic in a two-fight series prior to arriving in the UFC. “When you look at him fighting, he looks so odd and weird, and you look at me, it’s the same thing; two completely different styles, but unique in their own ways.
“Because it’s so weird, it’s unorthodox to train for,” added the challenger, noting his team surrounded him with quality training partners that were able to provide him with a reasonable facsimile of the style he’ll face on Saturday night.
Dricus Du Plessis of South Africa reacts after his knockout victory over Robert Whittaker of New Zealand in a middleweight fight during the UFC 290 event at T-Mobile Arena on July 08, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC)
In addition to being thoroughly prepared, Du Plessis believes one of the advantages he has heading into this weekend’s middleweight title fight is his focus on and frequent ability to finish fights, something he routinely points out the champion doesn’t do all that well.
“We’re two guys that like going forward, but when I catch you, you’re going down, and he has a 33 percent finishing rate,” said Du Plessis, whose fight with Tavares remains the one and only time he’s gone to the scorecards in his career. “A win is a win in this sport, I just know that my fights don’t get decided by somebody else —it gets decided by me.
“I train extremely hard, and I train all these things not to go and win on points: I go to try and finish fights. At the highest level, it’s hard to get those finishes without leaving yourself exposed, but it comes down to physicality, and I know I’ll win.
“He has a dog in him, but my dog is a lot stronger and a lot bigger.”
For all the bravado and back-and-forth that has taken place between these two, there is also a potentially historic element to Saturday’s main event as well, as Du Plessis looks to become the first competitor from South Africa to claim UFC gold.
Dricus Du Plessis: "I Belong Here" | UFC 297
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Dricus Du Plessis: "I Belong Here" | UFC 297
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Because we watch these elite athletes compete every weekend, and witness championship fights monthly, it’s easy to forget how seismic these opportunities can be for individuals from nations that have yet to see themselves represented at the apex level in the sport, just as it is for any champion that brings a title back home to share with their family, friends, and community.
And it’s no different for Du Plessis.
"It’s life-defining. It’s legacy-defining. It’s something that will remain in my family,” he said of potentially winning the middleweight title, his sense of the significance of the moment apparent in the tone of his voice. “My kids, my grandchildren, my brother’s kids, the generations to come in my family and in South Africa as a country —this will be written in history; it will always be talked about.
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“No matter what, it will never be taken away because it’s set in stone for all eternity, and that is absolutely incredible. When you think about it in those terms, I’ve been working at this dream for the last 15 years, and to think how small of a sacrifice that is for ultimate glory, for the rest of time —it’s a massive privilege and I can’t wait to get out there and make myself, the people that believe in me, all the people that have been by my side this whole journey and my whole nation proud and bring that belt home.
“It’s going to be something spectacular, and I cannot wait.”
Asked what it would mean to accomplish that feat and etch his name into the history books, Du Plessis took a long beat before answering, the weight of the question and the potential of the moment clearly sitting heavy with him.
“I’m not smart enough to have the vocabulary to put into words the feeling that I’ll be experiencing, but if it’s anything like I imagine —and it usually is, only better —it’s going to be life-defining,” he said with a smile. “It’s something that means the whole world to me. I’m gonna feel like I conquered the whole world and took it home.”
UFC 297: Strickland vs Du Plessistook place live from Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on January 20, 2024. See the Final Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
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