South African mixed martial artist Dricus du Plessis currently competes in the middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and is the promotion's current middleweight champion. He previously competed in the Extreme Fighting Championship (EFC), where he held the titles for both the middleweight and welterweight weight classes. He has been a professional since 2013 and has also participated in the Polish promotion Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki (KSW).
Dricus Du Plessis Fighting Style
The fighting style of Dricus du Plessis combines grappling and striking. Du Plessis has a background in kickboxing, judo, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu and uses a combination of striking and grappling in his fights. He is renowned for his submission abilities as well as his heavy hands, knockout strength, and nickname "Stillknocks." What makes him stand out from other fighters is his capacity to adjust to various fighting styles and perceive the movements of his opponents.
When did Dricus du Plessis make his UFC debut?
On October 11, 2020, at UFC Fight Night 179, Du Plessis faced Markus Perez in his first promotional match. He was knocked out in round one of the fight.
On March 20, 2021, at UFC on ESPN 21, Du Plessis was supposed to take on Trevin Giles. Due to visa complications that limited his travel, Du Plessis withdrew, and Roman Dolidze took his place. The match against Giles was moved to UFC 264 on July 10, 2021. By way of a knockout in the second round, Du Plessis prevailed. With this victory, he was given the Performance of the Night.
Du Plessis was supposed to fight Chris Curtis at UFC 273 on April 9, 2022. However, Anthony Hernandez took Curtis' place after he withdrew because of a wrist injury. After Nassourdine Imavov withdrew due to visa complications, the fights were once again rearranged, and Du Plessis is now up against Kelvin Gastelum. But a week before the event, Gastelum pulled out due to an unspecified injury, and his fight with du Plessis was canceled.
Du Plessis then competed against Brad Tavares on July 2, 2022, at UFC 276. He prevailed by a unanimous decision in the match. At UFC 282 on December 10, 2022, Du Plessis fought Darren Till. He won the fight by submission in the third round.
At UFC 285 on March 4, 2023, Du Plessis took on Derek Brunson. Due to a corner stoppage at 4:59 in the second round, he prevailed by technical knockout. On July 8, 2023, at UFC 290, Du Plessis fought against former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker in a title eliminator fight. He shut Whittaker's lights off in the second round and won the fight by second-round TKO. Du Plessis faced Sean Strickland at UFC 297 in the main event for the middleweight championship. He won the title by defeating Strickland via split decision and became the new middleweight champion of the UFC. The South African is scheduled to defend his belt for the first time against the former middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya.
What is the background of Dricus du Plessis?
At the age of five, Du Plessis began learning judo. At the age of 14, he switched to kickboxing. He eventually won the WAKO World Championship in K-1-style kickboxing, but after realizing that kickboxing offered no financial reward, he switched to mixed martial arts.
Plessis enrolled at the University of Pretoria to study agricultural economics, but he left during his final year to devote himself entirely to a career in mixed martial arts.
Read Also: What ethnicity is Dricus Du Plessis?
FAQs On What is Dricus du Plessis' fighting style?
A. The fighting style of Dricus du Plessis is a combination of striking and grappling.
A. Dricus du Plessis stands 6 feet tall.
A. The net worth of Dricus du Plessis is estimated to be $1 million as of August 2024.
A. Yes, he is a South African national.
A. He is an Afrikaan.
