Dricus du Plessis sparks explosion in MMA popularity as he blazes a trail for future South African stars

Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis of South Africa react after the conclusion of their UFC middleweight championship bout during the UFC 297 event at Scotiabank Arena on 20 January 2024 in Toronto, Ontario. (Photo: Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

By Keanan Hemmonsbey

28 Jan 2024

The newly crowned UFC middleweight champion will inspire others to greatness.

Early in South Africa on Sunday, 21 January, Dricus “Stillknocks” du Plessis became the country’s first Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) title holder after wrestling away the middleweight belt from the formidable American Sean Strickland.

South Africa has a rich history of boxing greats who have held titles in the various international boxing organisations, be it the WBA, the WBC, the WBO or the IBF.

First was Willie Smith, who was reigning world champion for four years after winning a gold medal at the 1924 Olympic Games in the bantamweight division. He was followed by fighters such as Vic Toweel in the 1950s, Jacob “Baby Jake” Matlala in the 1990s, Corrie “The Sniper” Sanders in the early 2000s – and many other boxing superstars in between.

In 1998, South Africa had eight world champions. Now there are none after Sivenathi Nontshinga lost his IBF light flyweight title to Adrian Curiel in November 2023, although Kevin Lerena does hold the WBC bridgerweight title on an interim basis.

But South Africa now has its first title in mixed martial arts (MMA) – a less-tamed cousin of boxing. It’s an achievement for a country that doesn’t have much of a history in the sport.

Intriguingly, Du Plessis has never done boxing. The 30-year-old has competed in judo since the age of five, as well as in wrestling and kickboxing as a teen.

In 2012, at the age of 17, he won gold in K-1-style kickboxing at the World Championships held by the World Association of Kickboxing Organizations.

When Du Plessis first stepped into the UFC octagon against Markus Perez on 11 October 2020, few thought the South African would have the impact he has had in the middleweight division.

Du Plessis’ success last weekend means that, for the first time in history, there are UFC champions representing every continent apart from Antarctica.

But his growth and development from fight to fight, culminating in his arm being raised and the UFC belt strapped around his waist, exemplifies his pedigree as an MMA fighter.

In similar fashion, after getting a fair beating from Strickland – mainly from his powerful straight left jab – in the opening round of their title bout at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Canada, Du Plessis adapted his strategy to win in a split decision by the three judges.

It was a tight fight that the judges scored 47-48, 48-47 and 48-47 in the South African’s favour.

Sean Strickland and Dricus du Plessis after their UFC middleweight championship bout at the UFC 297 event in Toronto, Ontario, on 20 January 2024. (Photo: Jeff Bottari / Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

Local roots

South Africans from every part of the country – some of whom had never heard of the UFC or MMA – woke up in the early hours of Sunday to watch their compatriot go to battle for the middleweight title.

The country has been enthralled by Du Plessis and his “hulle weet nie wat ons weet nie” (they don’t know what we know) phrase ever since.

Du Plessis spent his formative MMA years, from 2013 to 2017, drifting between the middleweight and welterweight divisions in the Extreme Fighting Championship (EFC) in South Africa. The EFC is South Africa’s version of the UFC and took its inspiration from the American organisation when started up in 2009.

Read more in Daily Maverick: Dricus du Plessis’s title win was a show of calm ingenuity during his biggest moment

Du Plessis’s first professional loss was to Garreth “Soldier Boy” McLellan, who went on to become one of the first South Africans to fight in the UFC.

Du Plessis’s time in the biggest MMA promotion company in the world has, however, gone much better than it did for McLellan.

He has fought seven times in the UFC and won all seven fights, with four knockouts. McLellan, on the other hand, suffered four defeats in five bouts before leaving the UFC.

Nevertheless, McLellan is still someone who inspired Du Plessis and his journey in the UFC.

Now Du Plessis is the one paving the way for other MMA fighters. And the next crop of local fighters are on their way.

Future prospects

Du Plessis is coached by Morne Visser and fights out of the CIT Performance Institute gym in Hatfield, Pretoria. Up-and-coming UFC bantamweight fighter Cameron Saaiman also trains with Du Plessis and has been his protégé since his teenage years.

Saaiman won his first four brawls in the UFC and was dubbed “the future” by UFC president Dana White. The 23-year-old, however, lost his most recent bout, in October 2023, against Christian Rodriguez by a unanimous decision. The bantamweight division is one of the most competitive in the UFC.

Current EFC welterweight champion Mark Hulme also trains at the CIT Performance Institute and is making his bid to enter the UFC. He fought in the Unified MMA – Canada’s promotional MMA organisation – a few days before Du Plessis tackled the biggest battle of his career. The burly South African beat hometown hero Zackery Powell by a unanimous decision in their three-round battle.

Homecoming

Although the UFC may still be in the shadow of boxing in the eyes of the greater sporting public, MMA’s popularity has exploded over the past few years.

Du Plessis’ success last weekend means that, for the first time in history, there are UFC champions representing every continent apart from Antarctica.

And now that South Africa has a champion horse in the race, there is little doubt that the evolution of the sport will continue to grow in the country.

I think we’ve worked our asses off to get this event to Africa and South Africa, and it’s time that it happens.

At UFC 297’s post-fight press conference, White said Du Plessis “absolutely, positively can be the guy” to lead the charge for the UFC to have an event in South Africa for the first time.

UFC Fight Nights and championship events have traditionally been held in arenas, something White is committed to stick to. South Africa has no arenas capable of hosting an event of that size – the Scotiabank Arena has a 20,000 capacity.

Du Plessis himself was unsure of where exactly the UFC event would be held in South Africa, initially suggesting his hometown of Pretoria.

“It’d probably be Pretoria, Johannesburg, Cape Town – one of those,” he said after the fight. “But there’s a lot of great places you can go in South Africa.

“I think we’ve worked our asses off to get this event to Africa and South Africa, and it’s time that it happens.

“There’s one thing about South Africa that I think, [if and when] the UFC goes there, the whole world is going to see: You have never felt the vibe when it comes to sport like [in] South Africa.” DM

This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available countrywide for R29.

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South Africa

Local roots

Future prospects

Homecoming