Dricus du Plessis

Dricus du Plessis (born 14 January 1994) is a South African professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He previously competed in the Middleweight division of Extreme Fighting Championship (EFC), where he is the former Middleweight and Welterweight Champion. A professional since 2013, he has also competed for Polish-based promotion Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki (KSW). In addition to being a two-time EFC Middleweight and former EFC Welterweight Champion, he is also a former KSW Welterweight Champion. As of March 7, 2023, he is #6 in the UFC middleweight rankings.[4][5]

Dricus du Plessis
Born (1994-01-14) 14 January 1994[1]
Hatfield, Pretoria, South Africa
Other namesStillknocks
Height6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb)
DivisionMiddleweight
Welterweight
Reach76 in (190 cm)[2]
StanceOrthodox
Fighting out ofHatfield, Pretoria, South Africa
TeamTeam CIT MMA
Rank2nd degree black belt in Kickboxing[3]
Years active2013–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total21
Wins19
By knockout8
By submission10
By decision1
Losses2
By knockout1
By submission1
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Background

Du Plessis started training judo at the age of five and eventually drifted to kickboxing at 14.[6] Eventually he became a WAKO World Champion in K-1 style kickboxing, but migrated to mixed martial arts after realizing there was no money to be made in kickboxing.[6][7] He attended University of Pretoria where he studied agricultural economics but dropped out during the final year to fully pursue a career in mixed martial arts.[3]

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Du Plessis made his professional debut in 2013, amassing an undefeated 4–0 record before facing future UFC veteran and then-EFC Middleweight Champion Garreth McLellan at EFC Africa 33, losing via guillotine choke submission in the third round.[8]

In June 2015, Du Plessis made his Welterweight debut at EFC Africa 40 against Dino Bagattin, winning via a second-round rear-naked choke submission.[9] After going 3–0 in 2015, Du Plessis faced veteran striker Martin Van Staden at EFC 50 for the vacant EFC Welterweight Championship. Du Plessis won via guillotine choke submission in the third round.[10] Du Plessis was later set to defend his title against one of its former holders, Henry Fadipe. However, the bout was scrapped when Fadipe encountered issues with his visa.

Du Plessis returned to EFC in 2017, defeating Brazilian Mauricio Da Rocha Jr. in a Welterweight contest before facing Yannick Bahati at EFC Africa 62 for the Middleweight Championship. Du Plessis won by guillotine choke at 1:30 of the first round, becoming a two-weight class Champion within the promotion.[11]

KSW

In 2018, Du Plessis was slated to face KSW Welterweight Champion Roberto Soldić for the KSW Welterweight Championship at KSW 43: Soldić vs. Du Plessis on April 14. In an upset, Du Plessis dethroned Soldic via TKO, after dropping him with a left hook.[12] The two would later rematch at KSW 45: De Fries vs. Bedorf in the fall of that year, with Du Plessis being defeated via third-round knockout.[13]

Du Plessis fought again for KSW at KSW 50 against Brazilian-German fighter Joilton Santos, winning via TKO.[14]

Return to EFC

After Brendan Lesar upset veteran Garreth McLellan for the EFC Interim Middleweight Championship at EFC Africa 80,[15] Du Plessis was next set to face Lesar for the title at EFC Africa 83. Du Plessis won via first-round guillotine choke submission.[16]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Du Plessis made his promotional debut against Markus Perez on 11 October 2020 at UFC Fight Night 179.[17] He won the fight via knockout in round one.[18]

Du Plessis was scheduled to face Trevin Giles on March 20, 2021 at UFC on ESPN 21.[19] However, du Plessis pulled out due to visa issues which restricted his travel and was replaced by Roman Dolidze.[20] The bout with Giles was rescheduled for July 10, 2021 on UFC 264.[21] Du Plessis won the fight via knockout in round two.[22] This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.[23]

Du Plessis was scheduled to face Chris Curtis on April 9, 2022 at UFC 273.[24] However, Curtis withdrew due to a wrist injury and was replaced by Anthony Hernandez.[25] However, the bouts were yet again shuffled after Nassourdine Imavov withdrew due to visa issues, with Du Plessis now facing Kevin Gastelum.[26] However, Gastelum withdrew a week before the event due to an undisclosed injury and his bout with du Plessis was cancelled.[27]

Du Plessis then faced Brad Tavares at UFC 276 on July 2, 2022.[28] He won the fight via unanimous decision.[29]

Du Plessis faced Darren Till at UFC 282 on December 10, 2022.[30] He won the fight via submission in round three.[31] This fight earned him the Fight of the Night award.[32]

Du Plessis faced Derek Brunson on March 4, 2023, at UFC 285.[33] He won the fight via technical knockout due to a corner stoppage at 4:59 of the second round.[34]

Du Plessis is scheduled to face former UFC Middleweight champion Robert Whittaker in a title eliminator fight on July 8, 2023, at UFC 290.[35]

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts record
Professional record breakdown
21 matches 19 wins 2 losses
By knockout 8 1
By submission 10 1
By decision 1 0
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 19–2 Derek Brunson TKO (corner stoppage) UFC 285 March 4, 2023 2 4:59 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 18–2 Darren Till Submission (face crank) UFC 282 December 10, 2022 3 2:43 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Fight of the Night.
Win 17–2 Brad Tavares Decision (unanimous) UFC 276 July 2, 2022 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 16–2 Trevin Giles KO (punches) UFC 264 July 10, 2021 2 1:41 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Performance of the Night.
Win 15–2 Markus Perez KO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Moraes vs. Sandhagen October 11, 2020 1 3:22 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Win 14–2 Brendan Lesar Submission (guillotine choke) EFC Africa 83 December 14, 2019 1 4:15 Gauteng, South Africa Defended and unified the EFC Middleweight Championship.
Win 13–2 Joilton Santos TKO (punches) KSW 50 September 14, 2019 2 3:04 London, England Return to Middleweight.
Loss 12–2 Roberto Soldić KO (punches) KSW 45 October 6, 2018 3 2:33 London, England Lost the KSW Welterweight Championship. Fight of the Night.
Win 12–1 Roberto Soldić TKO (punches) KSW 43 April 14, 2018 2 1:37 Wrocław, Poland Won the KSW Welterweight Championship. Performance of the Night.
Win 11–1 Yannick Bahati Submission (guillotine choke) EFC Africa 62 August 19, 2017 1 1:30 Gauteng, South Africa Won the EFC Middleweight Championship.
Win 10–1 Maurício da Rocha Jr. TKO (punches) EFC Africa 59 May 13, 2017 1 3:58 Gauteng, South Africa
Win 9–1 Rafał Haratyk Submission (guillotine choke) EFC Africa 56 December 9, 2016 2 3:34 Gauteng, South Africa Middleweight bout.
Win 8–1 Martin van Staden Submission (guillotine choke) EFC Africa 50 June 17, 2016 3 3:59 Gauteng, South Africa Won the vacant EFC Welterweight Championship.
Win 7–1 Bruno Mukulu Submission (rear-naked choke) EFC Africa 46 December 12, 2015 2 2:50 Gauteng, South Africa Catchweight (176 lb) bout.
Win 6–1 Dino Bagattin Submission (rear-naked choke) EFC Africa 40 June 6, 2015 2 3:33 Gauteng, South Africa Welterweight debut.
Win 5–1 Darren Daniel Submission (rear-naked choke) EFC Africa 37 February 21, 2015 1 4:50 Gauteng, South Africa
Loss 4–1 Garreth McLellan Submission (guillotine choke) EFC Africa 33 August 30, 2014 3 2:12 Gauteng, South Africa For the EFC Middleweight Championship.
Win 4–0 Donavin Hawkey TKO (punches) EFC Africa 27 February 27, 2014 1 4:50 Gauteng, South Africa
Win 3–0 JC Lambrecht Submission (rear-naked choke) EFC Africa 24 October 10, 2013 3 1:54 Gauteng, South Africa
Win 2–0 Bruno Mukulu Submission (rear-naked choke) EFC Africa 23 September 12, 2013 1 2:34 Gauteng, South Africa
Win 1–0 Tshikangu Makuebo TKO (knee injury) EFC Africa 21 July 25, 2013 1 1:18 Gauteng, South Africa Middleweight debut.

See also

References
  1. "Fightcenter: Dricus "Stillknocks" du Plessis. www.tapology.com". Archived from the original on 16 December 2019. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  2. "EFC Athletes Profile: Dricus "Stillknocks" du Plessis. www.efcworldwide.com/". Archived from the original on 4 December 2019. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  3. "Dricus du Plessis | UFC". UFC.com. Archived from the original on October 24, 2020. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  4. "UFC Rankings | UFC.com". www.ufc.com. Archived from the original on 2019-05-18. Retrieved 2023-03-07.
  5. "UFC Rankings". The Sports Network. Archived from the original on 7 March 2023. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
  6. "Du Plessis - EFC Worldwide". efcworldwide.com. Archived from the original on 2019-12-04. Retrieved 2019-12-16.
  7. Ariel Helwani (April 5, 2022). Dricus Du Plessis Rips Kelvin Gastelum: ‘He Literally Took Food Off My Table’ - MMA Fighting. Archived from the original on April 26, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2022 – via YouTube.
  8. Rob Tatum (August 30, 2014). "EFC Africa 33 Results: McLellan Chokes Out Du Plessis to Retain Middleweight Title". combatpress.com. Archived from the original on 25 January 2020. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
  9. "Extreme Fighting Championship (Africa) EFC Africa 40". Archived from the original on 22 March 2019. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
  10. "EFC 50 Results". Archived from the original on 25 January 2020. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
  11. "EFC 62 Results: History is Made". Archived from the original on 25 January 2020. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
  12. "KSW 43 results: Dricus Du Plessis stops Roberto Soldic to claim welterweight title. www.mmafighting.com". Archived from the original on 25 January 2020. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
  13. "KSW 45 took place Saturday night, October 6 from The SSE Arena, Wembley in London, England. www.fight-madness.com". Archived from the original on 25 January 2020. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
  14. "KSW 50: London Full Results". cagesidepress.com. Archived from the original on 25 January 2020. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
  15. "Lesar Scores Major Upset At EFC 80. www.fightsports.tv". Archived from the original on 27 January 2021. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
  16. Sabelo Mashego. "Du Plessis takes EFC 83. It was built up over an elongated two years". boksburgadvertiser.co.za. Archived from the original on 25 January 2020. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
  17. Raphael Marinho (2020-09-24). "UFC sets former KSW champion as opponent of Markus Maluko, October 10". globoesporte.com. Archived from the original on 2020-09-29. Retrieved 2020-09-24. (in Portuguese)
  18. Bitter, Shawn (2020-10-10). "UFC Fight Island 5 Results: Dricus Du Plessis Impresses in Debut With KO". Cageside Press. Archived from the original on 2020-10-13. Retrieved 2020-10-11.
  19. DNA, MMA (2021-01-13). "Trevin Giles vs. Dricus Du Plessis toegevoegd aan UFC evenement op 20 maart". MMA DNA. Archived from the original on 2021-01-13. Retrieved 2021-01-13.
  20. Alexander K. Lee and Mike Heck (2021-03-10). "Dricus Du Plessis out of UFC Vegas 22, Roman Dolidze steps in to fight Trevin Giles". mmafighting.com. Archived from the original on 2021-03-11. Retrieved 2021-03-10.
  21. Nolan King (2021-04-22). "UFC 264 adds Dricus Du Plessis vs. Trevin Giles to lineup". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Archived from the original on 2021-04-22. Retrieved 2021-04-22.
  22. Behunin, Alex (2021-07-10). "UFC 264 Results: Dricus du Plessis Knocks Out Trevin Giles". Cageside Press. Archived from the original on 2021-07-11. Retrieved 2021-07-11.
  23. Alexander K. Lee (2021-07-11). "UFC 264 bonuses: Kris Moutinho earns share of Fight of the Night for gutsy performance". mmafighting.com. Archived from the original on 2021-07-21. Retrieved 2021-07-11.
  24. Shaun Al-Shatti and Mike Heck (2022-01-25). "Chris Curtis vs. Dricus du Plessis set for UFC 273". mmafighting.com. Archived from the original on 2022-02-05. Retrieved 2022-03-15.
  25. Mike Heck (2022-03-15). "With Chris Curtis and Albert Duraev out, Dricus Du Plessis now faces Anthony Hernandez at UFC 273". mmafighting.com. Archived from the original on 2022-03-31. Retrieved 2022-03-15.
  26. Staff (2022-03-29). "With Kelvin Gastelum now facing Dricus Du Plessis, Anthony Hernandez welcomes newcomer Josh Fremd at UFC 273". mmafighting.com. Archived from the original on 2022-03-29. Retrieved 2022-03-29.
  27. Shaun Al-Shatti (2022-04-01). "Kelvin Gastelum injured, UFC 273 bout with Dricus du Plessis canceled". mmafighting.com. Archived from the original on 2022-04-02. Retrieved 2022-04-01.
  28. Alexander K. Lee (April 19, 2022). "Brad Tavares vs. Dricus Du Plessis set for UFC 276". mmafighting.com. Archived from the original on April 28, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  29. Doherty, Dan (2022-07-02). "UFC 276: Dricus Du Plessis Batters Brad Tavares in Bloody Brawl". Cageside Press. Archived from the original on 2022-07-03. Retrieved 2022-07-03.
  30. Shelton, Cole (2022-09-07). "Darren Till booked for return at UFC 282 against Dricus Du Plessis". | BJPenn.com. Archived from the original on 2022-10-23. Retrieved 2022-10-23.
  31. Dewar, Val (2022-12-10). "UFC 282: Dricus Du Plessis Submits Darren Till, Spoils Return". Cageside Press. Archived from the original on 2022-12-11. Retrieved 2022-12-11.
  32. Hiergesell, Dan (2022-12-11). "Bonuses! All Fighters With Finishes Collect $50K". MMAmania.com. Archived from the original on 2022-12-11. Retrieved 2022-12-11.
  33. Mike Bohn (2022-12-28). "Derek Brunson vs. Dricus Du Plessis added to UFC 285 lineup in March". MMA Junkie. Archived from the original on 2022-12-28. Retrieved 2022-12-28.
  34. Jay Anderson (2023-03-04). "UFC 285: War with Dricus du Plessis ends with Derek Brunson's corner throwing in the towel". Cageside Press. Archived from the original on 2023-03-05. Retrieved 2023-03-04.
  35. "Robert Whittaker vs. Dricus Du Plessis added to UFC 290; Dana White says winner gets Israel Adesanya". MMA Junkie. 2023-04-21. Retrieved 2023-04-22.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.