Dricus du Plessis’ star keeps rising through sheer bloody-mindedness

Dricus Du Plessis of South Africa fights Israel Adesanya of Nigeria in Perth, Australia. (Photo: Paul Kane / Getty Images)

By Keanan Hemmonsbey

19 Aug 2024

The middleweight division has a new king and you’ll have to kill him to take his crown.

After his title-defending victory over Israel Adesanya, Dricus du Plessis has elevated himself to one of the best middleweight fighters the UFC has seen and beyond that into a new sphere of sports popularity in South Africa.

Du Plessis’ last three UFC victories are, in order, Israel Adesanya, Sean Strickland and Robert Whittaker. That is a world-class run of victories to one, earn a championship fight, two, claim the title and three, defend the title.

The enormity of the occasion of Du Plessis’ title defence was signified by the presence of Springbok captain Siya Kolisi as well as star forward Eben Etzebeth walking the champion out in the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia, draped in his branded jacket.

dricus du plessis ufc adesanya Dricus Du Plessis of South Africa grapples with Israel Adesanya of Nigeria in Perth, Australia. (Photo: Paul Kane / Getty Images)

The Springboks might be the most recognisable sporting brand in the country, but Du Plessis is steadily fighting his way into second place with his performances in the octagon alongside his unwavering patriotism – he walked out to the South African national anthem – which has extended his admiration.

His popularity as well as success has strengthened the case for a UFC event in the country, something UFC president Dana White has teased for a while.

“If [Du Plessis] can beat Izzy (Adesanya), and bring that belt back to South Africa, we will do an event there. But if Izzy can win back the belt, he can retain his legacy,” White said during the pre-fight press conference.

White has spoken about bringing an event to Africa in the past and not followed through with it, but with the ever-rising star of Du Plessis, it’s likely that it will happen sooner rather than later.

Smart fighting

In many ways, Du Plessis is an unlikely champion. He fights out of South Africa, where simply making it to the UFC was an achievement.

Inside the octagon, he’s an extremely awkward-looking fighter too, blitzing almost recklessly into opponents and leaving his face exposed to counterattacks.

Yet, he’s not only champion but he’s never been beaten since making his UFC debut in 2020 — going on an eight-fight winning streak.

Du Plessis is very strong, more tactical than people give him credit for and has one of the most resilient attitudes in the octagon.

dricus du plessis adesanya Dricus Du Plessis of South Africa fights Israel Adesanya of Nigeria in Perth, Australia. (Photo: Paul Kane / Getty Images)

He has said repeatedly before fights that he steps into the ring willing to die. For many, those words may sound facetious, but Du Plessis means it, at least judging by the way he fights.

He takes a beating in every fight, often being outstruck by his opponents, like he was on Sunday against Adesanya.

But he doesn’t give up. He’s just bloody-minded enough to keep going until his plan works, regardless of how many times he is hit or kicked in the face and body.

There was a moment halfway through the second round against Adesanya when he was taking a beating from the two-time champion who was throwing a tidy combination of quick jabs and uppercuts.

All of Adesanya’s punches seemed to land perfectly on either his face or body while Du Plessis made contact with fresh air when he tried to retaliate as the fleet-footed Nigerian evaded his tired-looking punches.

In the exchange, Du Plessis threw one attempted hook so hard and so off-target that he flung himself to the floor almost face first and seemingly left himself in a vulnerable position for Adesanya to ground and pound.

Instead, the balky South African turned the near face-plant into a takedown by grabbing on to an evading Adesanya’s leg which saw the Nigerian tumble to the ground alongside him where Du Plessis clung to his back and started dominating the round.

It was a humorous exchange, but it summed up both Du Plessis’ lack of regard for his safety to win as well as his refusal to be pinned down. Traits of a champion. A defending champion.

dricus du plessis ufc Dricus Du Plessis of South Africa fights Israel Adesanya of Nigeria in Perth, Australia. (Photo: Paul Kane / Getty Images)

“I stuck to the plan,” Du Plessis said after the fight. “I tried to stay as disciplined in there as necessary.

“Not blitzing forward for too long because the blitz is one thing I’m going to do. And everything worked out perfectly.”

Next picking

While Du Plessis may be unconventional in the way he fights, his refusal to lose when it matters – which is very similar to the Springboks in rugby – has made him one of the biggest stars in the UFC and in the country.

He has his pick of next opponents when he steps in the octagon again – which could very well be in South Africa – and Whittaker looks like he is being given another chance by the champion.

“Robert Whittaker deserves the shot,” Du Plessis said. “I think he’s being done over. Whittaker beat [Paulo] Costa.

“Sean Strickland’s only saving grace is the fact he went to decision with me. That’s it.

“Robert Whittaker beat Costa in a more spectacular fashion, I believe, than Strickland did.

“Then Whittaker steps up to fight Khamzat, [Chimaev] pulls out, Whittaker fights a nobody in the sense of [Ikram Aliskerov] is not in the rankings, he can only lose, and he’s a great fighter.

“Ikram is an amazing fighter; he’s really good. Whittaker makes it look like he’s fighting an amateur.

“And what does he get for it? Nothing. Then he says, ‘Okay, I’ll fight Khamzat again.’ So, if he beats Khamzat, do you not give him the title shot?

“He’s getting the short end of the stick, unfortunately. That’s not on me. I’ll fight whoever. Strickland’s the fight everyone wants to see, but Whittaker is the one being done over, in my opinion. He’s more deserving, but life’s not fair.” DM

Categories:

Sport

Tags:

DM is much better if you are signed in...

Sport

Smart fighting

Next picking