Dricus du Plessis should be given his overdue respect: A look into the South African's UFC accomplishments
Ever since he first signed with the UFC, Dricus du Plessis has been followed by a somewhat negative narrative: that he is a clumsy, goofy fighter who won't go far. Yet, eight fights into his promotional run, he is the middleweight champion. Moreover, he has just scored his first successful title defense, and in enemy territory as well.
The prevailing thought among many in the MMA fandom—be they fans, analysts, and even other fighters—was that the du Plessis train would eventually run out of tracks. At some point, his detractors thought he would face someone too good for his awkward style to be effective against.
Derek Brunson was supposed to have been the one. Then, of course, Robert Whittaker was, and so on. Instead, 'Stillknocks' is still winning. So, when will he be given the respect he has more than earned in his four-year run? He deserves it and for more than one reason.
Dricus du Plessis is undefeated in the UFC
Oct. 11, 2020, marked Dricus du Plessis's UFC debut. Since then, he has competed in 8 bouts in the promotion, winning all of them. The South African is not only unbeaten in the UFC, but his eight-fight win streak has yielded six finishes.
The ability to remain undefeated while facing the best in the world is praise-worthy and that's exactly what du Plessis has done. By his third fight in the promotion, he was already testing himself against the toughest available competition, facing divisional litmus test Brad Tavares.
Check out Dricus du Plessis beating Brad Tavares:
At the time, Tavares was on a two-fight win streak and still entrenched in his role as a gatekeeper of potential elites. After all, he's the same man that Robert Whittaker and Israel Adesanya had to overcome on their respective journeys to the top, and the South African outworked him en route to a unanimous decision.
Thereafter, he faced Darren Till, who everyone believed was too sharp on the feet for him. Yet, 'Stillknocks' booted him from the UFC with a face crank in round three. Afterward, he took on Derek Brunson, another high-level test for anyone dreaming of a top-five spot at middleweight.
Edmen Shahbazyan, a once highly-touted prospect, found out in brutal fashion that beating Tavares was just one-half of the 185-pound test. Brunson was the other half, and he failed. Du Plessis, on the other hand, passed with flying colors, beating Brunson so severely that the latter's corner stopped the fight.
Check out Dricus du Plessis TKO'ing Derek Brunson:
As a reminder, Brunson's only other UFC losses have been to multi-time title challenger Yoel Romero, ex-middleweight champion Robert Whittaker, MMA legend Anderson Silva, ex-Strikeforce middleweight champion Ronaldo 'Jacare' Souza, middleweight great Israel Adesanya, and ex-heavyweight Jared Cannonier.
While beating Brunson was commendable, it is who du Plessis beat next that solidified him.
Dricus du Plessis has beaten three UFC champions back-to-back
Dricus du Plessis' strength of schedule has never been easy, and it's only grown more difficult. He first entered title contention by beating the uber-skilled Robert Whittaker, a former middleweight interim and undisputed champion, who swore he wouldn't underestimate the South African come fight night.
Unfortunately for Whittaker, he still lost. In fact, du Plessis became the first person to outgrapple 'The Reaper,' taking him down and battering him in round one, before subsequentlyTKO'ing him in round two. Even Olympic freestyle wrestling silver medalist Yoel Romero couldn't do so, despite twice facing the Australian.
Check out Dricus du Plessis TKO'ing Robert Whittaker:
The loss didn't sit well with Whittaker, who later claimed to have underestimated du Plessis despite stating the contrary prior to their bout. Such is the nature of du Plessis that his opponents are left stunned, and the excuses flow, even if contradictory.
Next, the South African faced Sean Strickland, who had captured the middleweight belt from Israel Adesanya in an all-time great upset. Despite 'Tarzan's' best efforts, he lost to du Plessis in a thrilling war, marking the South African's second win over a middleweight champion. Next, he faced the second-greatest middleweight ever.
It was his first title defense, and given the personal nature of his feud with Adesanya and the continental pride involved, the pressure must have been suffocating. Nevertheless, du Plessis rose to the occasion in every way, and at the UFC 305 pre-fight presser, his trash talk drove Adesanya to tears.
Inside the octagon, it was no less shocking, with the two men locking horns in a back-and-forth battle that left fans on the edge of their seats. Despite stomaching the pain of vicious body shots from Adesanya, du Plessis persevered, giving as good as he got on the feet.
Check out Dricus du Plessis submitting Israel Adesanya:
He also outwrestled 'The Last Stylebender,' becoming the first fighter to do so. In the end, he finished him with a face crank, the same submission he used to defeat Till. So, what more does du Plessis have to do to prove himself to his doubters?
Dricus du Plessis and the tale of African MMA
Israel Adesanya, Kamaru Usman, and Francis Ngannou represented a turning point in MMA, a sport once dominated by North American and South American fighters. The aforementioned 'Three Kings' became the first fighters to reveal the true depth of talent in the continent of Africa.
Adesanya and Usman represented Nigeria's potential, while Ngannou did the same for Cameroon. All three men went on to become the first African champions in the UFC, showing an entire generation of Africans that it is possible for them to dream big in MMA.
With them, the popularity of the sport exploded in Africa. However, all three men became the fighters they became outside of Africa. Adesanya moved to New Zealand during his childhood, where he first pursued martial arts, ultimately becoming a high-level kickboxer and mixed martial artist.
His encounter with coach Eugene Bareman at age 21 proved especially transformative. Similarly, Usman moved to the United States as a child, where he wrestled in high school, arming himself with the skills he eventually used to become a UFC champion, but not before joining a slew of American MMA gyms.
Ngannou, by comparison, found combat sports late, pursuing his training after moving to France. Therein lies the difference between the 'Three Kings' and Dricus du Plessis. While they showed the world that it is possible for Africans to attain UFC championship glory, du Plessis showed them something different.
Check out Dricus du Plessis and Israel Adesanya discussing the 'Three Kings' era:
The South African, who never left his home country, showed that it is possible to become a UFC champion while training out of an African gym. He trains at Team CIT MMA, which is based in Pretoria, South Africa, and has also hammered home the importance of game planning vs. technique.
Much of du Plessis' success in MMA is down to game-planning for his opponents. Against Robert Whittaker, he timed the latter's blitzes with a clinch takedown instead of threatening 'The Reaper's' strong hips. Against Sean Strickland, a pressure fighter, he refused to concede the front foot.
Against Adesanya, he hid behind a high guard and deprived 'The Last Stylebender' of preferred counters. This he did with coaching from an African gym. More importantly, du Plessis is also a former two-division champion in the EFC, a South African MMA promotion.
Check out the South African reaction to Dricus du Plessis' UFC 305 win:
He spent half of his career fighting in an African promotion and his entire career training out of an African gym, which forged him into a UFC champion. Through his exploits, a new generation now knows that African fighters don't have to leave for gyms abroad to find success in the UFC.
They can do so by training on African soil and refining their skill set in hometown promotions, and that can never be taken from du Plessis.