UFC News & Features5 Defining Moments: Dricus Du Plessis
An unshakable competitive drive and pure brute force have teamed up to take reigning Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight titleholder Dricus Du Plessis to unexpected heights.
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As Du Plessis approaches his high-stakes sequel with Strickland, a look at five of the many moments that have come to define him:
1. A Step Back
Gareth McLellan leaned on his guile and experience to retain the Extreme Fighting Championship middleweight crown when he choked the previously unbeaten Du Plessis unconscious with a third-round guillotine in their EFC 33 main event on Aug. 30, 2014 at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre in Durban, South Africa. “Soldier Boy” slammed the door 2:12 into Round 3. Champion and challenger pushed themselves to the brink of exhaustion and beyond in a thrilling back-and-forth battle. McLellan seized the reins in Round 2, where he twice achieved full mount, progressed to the back and flattened out his counterpart before threatening with a series of rear-naked chokes. Du Plessis managed to survive but only delayed the inevitable. McLellan struck for a takedown inside the first 15 seconds of the third round, floated between side control and north-south position, forced a scramble and bit down on the choke. Du Plessis did all he could to free himself, then lost his grip on reality. Even in defeat, he showed flashes of the brilliance that would one day make him one of the top middleweights in the sport.
2. Victim of Vengeance
Roberto Soldic exacted some revenge when he punched out Du Plessis and captured the Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki welterweight championship for a second time in the third round of their KSW 45 showcase on Oct. 6, 2018 at Wembley Arena in London. The Croatian marauder drew the curtain 2:33 into Round 3, a little less than six months after he had bowed to punches from Du Plessis in their first meeting. Du Plessis probed for openings with leg kicks and cut loose with intermittent punching bursts but failed to move “Robocop” off his mark. The stoic Soldic took a patient and measured approach, picked his spots and cut off attempted takedowns with an effective sprawl. He staggered Du Plessis with an overhand left in the third round and pinned him to the fence with punches and knees before electing to reset in open space. Soldic then uncorked a clubbing left hook, followed it with a plunging knee to the body and sat down the Team CIT standout with another concussive left upstairs. There was no refuge for Du Plessis, as more unanswered punches fell and prompted the stoppage.
3. Stripes Earned
Du Plessis took his final step toward title contention in the Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight division when he put down Robert Whittaker with punches in the second round of their featured UFC 290 attraction on July 8, 2023 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Whittaker succumbed to blows 2:23 into Round 2. “Bobby Knuckles” handled his business initially with a clean jab and effective counters, only to lose his way near the conclusion of the first round. Du Plessis secured a takedown and paired it with a slashing elbow strike that opened a serious cut near the former champion’s right eye. Whittaker was never the same. Du Plessis stunned him with a straight right in the middle stanza and forced the New Zealand native to a knee under a barrage of follow-up shots to the head and body, leading referee Marc Goddard to step in to prevent unnecessary damage.
4. Cream Rises to the Top
Du Plessis captured the undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight crown with a hard-fought split decision over the aforementioned Strickland in the UFC 297 headliner on Jan. 20, 2024 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. All three cageside judges scored it 48-47: Sal D’Amato for Strickland, Derek Cleary and Eric Colon for Du Plessis. It was close for the duration. Strickland operated behind his potent jab and took away the challenger’s low kicks with exquisite defense. Du Plessis struck for takedowns in the first second and fourth rounds, opened multiple cuts with clubbing blows upstairs and made it a point to advance on his upright adversary whenever possible. He did his best work in Round 4, where he executed multiple takedowns and drew blood with a lunging straight right hand. Strickland kept his foot on the accelerator across the last five minutes, paired his jab with crosses, managed to stay upright and mixed in a few kicks to the body. Ultimately, his final push failed to close the gap on the scorecards.
5. Staying Power
Du Plessis retained his undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight title in scintillating fashion and turned away Israel Adesanya with a face in the fourth round of their emotionally charged UFC 305 headliner on Aug. 17, 2024 at RAC Arena in Perth Australia. Adesanya, who had never before been submitted, raised the white flag of surrender 3:36 into Round 4. Du Plessis waded through considerable difficulty before he arrived at the finish line. Adesanya zeroed in on his body with hooks from both hands and well-timed kicks, attacked his legs when the mood arose and pieced together stirring combinations to the head. Du Plessis refused to go away. The Team CIT rep executed multiple takedowns—he threatened Adesanya’s neck in the first round in a harbinger of what was in store—and connected with thudding power punches to the head. Midway through the fourth round, Du Plessis put “The Last Stylebender” in a state of retreat, clipped him with three straight clubbing right hands and dumped him to the mat. He immediately jumped to the back, set his hooks and bit down on the crank before Adesanya could respond.
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