Dricus Du Plessis had something to prove when he stepped into the Octagon with former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker at UFC 290 earlier this year. Heading into that fight, the South African was 5-0 inside the Octagon, defeating Markus Perez, Trevin Giles, Brad Tavares, Darren Till and Derek Brunson.
Prior to the fight, UFC CEO Dana White had announced that this bout would be a middleweight title eliminator, with the winner set to face Israel Adesanya for the belt at UFC 293 in Sydney. Many people thought they would be seeing Adesanya vs Whittaker 3 in Sydney, but “Stillknocks” had other plans as he defeated Whittaker in dominant fashion, earning a second-round knockout.
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Du Plessis and Adesanya faced off inside the Octagon after his win and exchanged words, but the two would not end up battling it out in Sydney. I caught up with Du Plessis for the first time since that night in Las Vegas ahead of the UFC 2024 Seasonal Press Conference last week to see what happened in the weeks following the biggest win of his career.
“I dealt with some injuries after the last fight, but nothing too serious, no surgeries, just making sure that I can get back to 100 percent; a little bit of rehab and taking care of the body,” Du Plessis said. “It has been a very active year the past couple of months.”
Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis get into fight in crowd at UFC 296
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Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis get into fight in crowd at UFC 296
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With Du Plessis out for the fight against Adesanya, the UFC called on Sean Strickland, who was riding a two-fight win streak. Strickland would go on to pull off the upset over Adesanya, becoming the new middleweight champion of the world and Du Plessis’ newest challenge at UFC 297 in Toronto.
“(Strickland) is one of those fighters who is going to come out and the lights don’t bother him, the moment doesn’t bother him, so he is going to come out and fight the way he fights,” Du Plessis said. “He never fights worse, he never fights better, he always fights the way he fights, and it is always a good fight, so nothing but respect for him as a fighter. He is an exceptional fighter.”
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At the seasonal press conference, things got heated between the two middleweights, which then led to them getting into a fight in the crowd during UFC 296 at T-Mobile Arena, bringing more buzz to this fight.
Following his fight against Adesanya, Strickland highlighted his striking skills, telling UFC broadcast reporter Megan Olivi that he is the “best striker in the world.” Du Plessis believes he has the ability to compete with someone like Strickland and knows he is going to bring an exciting fight for the fans.
Opponents Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis face off during the UFC 2024 seasonal press conference at MGM Grand Garden Arena on December 15, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
“If he is the best striker in the world, which I very highly doubt, styles make fights,” Du Plessis said. “He fought the best style to beat Israel Adesanya. I fight the best style to knock out anybody in the world and you saw that against Whittaker; that has never happened to him before. I have to ask the question; do you think Robert Whittaker loses to someone like Sean Strickland? No, he doesn’t. There is no way that happens. We both have a very weird style, so I think it is going to be one hell of a clash and I think this is going to be a fan-friendly fight, it is going to be amazing.”
Du Plessis’ title shot comes just six fights into his UFC career. Making his debut back in October 2020 in Abu Dhabi, Du Plessis has fought five of his last six fights inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, so being able to fight somewhere new, let alone a new country, is a challenge that the 29-year-old is looking forward to.
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“I’ve grown very fond of Vegas and fighting here, so it is interesting to be fighting somewhere else,” Du Plessis said. “I am very excited for the new environment. It is a challenge. It helps when you get used to an environment; you know exactly where everything is, you know what to expect, what it looks like, but this is new. It is exciting and another part of the world I haven’t seen yet.”
Dricus Du Plessis Backstage Interview | UFC 2024 Seasonal Press Conference
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Dricus Du Plessis Backstage Interview | UFC 2024 Seasonal Press Conference
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Du Plessis admits it is incredible to think about his quick rise to the title shot. Of course, he always believed in himself and knew he would be fighting for a title one day, but he didn’t expect it to come this fast.
Come January 20, he looks forward to having UFC gold wrapped around his waist and starting his reign as middleweight champion of the world.
“January 20th is the start of a new era,” Du Plessis said. “I am coming through as a youngster. I started this sport very young and I’m very new in the UFC. It has been mentioned about my weird style, but I think this is a new era of a new style that is born. You look at the guys fighting at UFC 1 versus the guys fighting now and how the sport has developed; I think I am the next step in that evolution, and I hope my reign will bring the best out in any fighter in the world.”
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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