Dricus du Plessis comes clean about stealing moves from Sean Strickland and Israel Adesanya
UFC middleweight king Dricus du Plessis has only been a champion for less than two years, and he's already beaten two former world champions. His most recent victims are Israel Adesanya and Sean Strickland, with the latter losing to 'Stillknocks' twice.
One of the unique things about du Plessis is his awkward and often strange fighting style. And yet, despite how it looks inside the octagon, 'Stillknocks' gets the job done.
What makes him even more unique is that du Plessis apparently steals moves from his former opponents and uses them in his next fights. In an episode of The Sias du Plessis Show on YouTube, the South African revealed that he stole techniques from both Strickland and Adesanya when he fought them, saying:
"You know, after the second fight with Sean Strickland, after the first fight, I stole his jab. I 100% stole that jab from him. The way he throws it was so effective. And it was effective. I caught him [with it]. The first jab he threw I patted and jabbed him straight - gave him some of his own medicine. Because I learned from him because he's such an incredible fighter. Sean Strickland's a great fighter and I learned from him."
He fought Strickland twice - first to win the belt and second to defend it. After confessing that he stole Strickland's jab, du Plessis mentioned a particular shot that Adesanya repeatedly caught him with that he now practices in the gym, saying:
"Israel [Adesanya], he did this uppercut that I just, in the fight, couldn't figure out... He caught me maybe three, four times directly with the same movement, same uppercut, right on the nose... And after the fight I just told my coach, I said, 'That uppercut he threw, I need to figure out how he did that.' Because he's brilliant. That was brilliant. I couldn't find an answer in the fight."
'Stillknocks' then said that he now knows the technique by heart and reiterates the importance of learning from his opponents and even future foes. This only proves the diligence with which du Plessis studies the game.
Check out Dricus du Plessis' comments below (38:07):
Dricus du Plessis' coach says Khamzat Chimaev fight still happening, just not in June
One of the most burning questions surrounding Dricus du Plessis' next bout is whether or not he'll fight divisional boogeyman Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 317 International Fight Week in June. Rumors of the champion getting injured and backing out also circulated, casting doubt on whether the fight would ever happen.
Du Plessis' coach, Morne Visser, set the record straight and clarified whether or not the fight is in peril. He told Submission Radio:
"We haven't signed a contract, so the fight was never confirmed... No injuries, man. That's bullsh*t. We're fighting Khamzat. We're actually just waiting for the contract. It's gonna be soon, but definitely not UFC 317."