"I'm calling out the guy who has the belt" - When Dricus du Plessis expressed his title aspirations after just one UFC fightÂ
Dricus du Plessis will be fighting for the middleweight title in the main event of UFC 297 this weekend and is set to take on Sean Strickland. The South African has had the hunger and self-belief that he could become a UFC champion since his promotional debut.
'Stillknocks' first stepped foot inside the octagon against Markus Perez at UFC Fight Night 179. He won the bout via first-round KO, after which he took to the microphone to call out then-champion Israel Adesanya.
During his post-fight press conference, 'Stillknocks' was asked to elaborate on his callout, to which he said that he was fully focused on whoever held the middleweight title.
He said this:
"If you don't have the mission to be the greatest of all-time, you shouldn't be here. You're gonna get hurt... [Adesanya] is at the top of the pile, whoever has the belt, it's nothing personal against Adesanya. I'm not calling him out, per se, I'm calling out the guy that has the belt. And the whole the division has to know that I'm coming."
Listen to Dricus du Plessis' comments below (3:25):
Fast forward three years, and Dricus du Plessis has accomplished much in the middleweight division. He is the only man not named Israel Adesanya to have beaten Robert Whittaker since 2014, and will now have the chance to realize his dreams against Sean Strickland at UFC 297.
Dricus du Plessis shares confident preview of his clash with Sean Strickland
Sean Strickland will be looking to make the first title defense of his championship reign against Dricus du Plessis this weekend. Both men had incredible 2023 seasons, with each claiming a massive upset win to set up their main event clash in Canada.
Strickland defeated Israel Adesanya via decision at UFC 293 to win the middleweight title. Meanwhile, du Plessis stunned fans around the world by beating Robert Whittaker via TKO at UFC 290.
Ahead of this weekend's title fight, 'Stillknocks' shared his thoughts on the matchup with Strickland. He was full of confidence, believing himself to be a more complete MMA fighter than his opponent:
"I'm definitely stronger, I just feel he has this awkward style... Athletically I'm definitely a better fighter than Sean Strickland. Yes, he has great boxing. But this is not boxing, this is MMA. I will make sure to test him in every aspect of MMA, and I know for a fact that I am better than him."
Listen to Dricus du Plessis' comments below: