Ahead of his challenge for the UFC middleweight title in the main event of UFC 297, we’ve decided to delve deeper into Dricus du Plessis’ MMA career. Read on to learn more about du Plessis’ record, his UFC record, and how many knockouts he has under his belt in MMA.
Dricus du Plessis Disc
Dricus du Plessis turned professional in 2013 with a first knockout victory against Tshikangu Makuebo in Gauteng, South Africa, at EFC 21. Since then, du Plessis has had a further 21 professional MMA fights, winning all but two of them.
So far, du Plessis’ career has been stellar in MMA to date. ‘Stilknocks’ has recently scored big wins in the UFC over the likes of Robert Whittaker, Darren Till and Derek Brunson, to name just a few.
As mentioned above, Dricus du Plessis made his professional MMA debut over 10 years ago. He won his first four fights in the EFC organization, before suffering the first loss of his career. The South African was defeated by submission by Garreth McLellan for the EFC middleweight title.
However, the 30-year-old didn’t let that loss define him. Dricus du Plessis bounced back with eight straight wins. These victories included capturing the EFC Middleweight Title, as well as winning the KSW Welterweight Championship in his debut with the organization.
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Then came the second loss of du Plessis’ career. After beating Roberto Soldić in his previous fight to become KSW welterweight champion, Dricus du Plessis lost the rematch via knockout. After that loss, the South African had two more fights in KSW and EFC respectively, before signing with the UFC.
Du Plessis’ UFC debut occurred in October 2020 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The middleweight contender put on an emphatic display in his debut, knocking out Markus Perez in the first round of the fight. After that, Du Plessis’ second fight in the UFC was against Trevin Giles.
This fight was even more emphatic, with Dricus du Plessis winning the UFC bonus award for “Performance of the Night.” He emphatically knocked out Giles in the second round of their fight at UFC 264, extending his record to 16-2.
Next up for Dricus du Plessis in his third UFC fight was Brad Tavares. This is the only time he has made it this far, but the South African put his hand up anyway. He then took a big step forward against Darren Till. Du Plessis rose to the occasion, submitting ‘The Gorilla’ in the third round of their 185-pound bout.
At UFC 285 in March 2023, Dricus du Plessis returned to the knockout train, beating Derek Brunson after the American was stopped in his corner. Another resounding victory, with Dricus du Plessis quickly rising up the UFC middleweight rankings. Next up was a fight with former champion Robert Whittaker.
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Dricus du Plessis’ most recent victory was the best of his MMA career to date. ‘Stilknocks’ was a big underdog among the UFC betting sites when he faced former UFC middleweight king Robert Whittaker at UFC 290, but he broke the script and defeated ‘Bobby Knuckles’ by knockout in emphatic fashion. .
This brings us so far in the career of Dricus du Plessis. There is no doubt that ‘Stilknocks’ is one of the best 185-pound fighters in the world and is a worthy contender to Sean Strickland’s throne. Not only that, but he is always in entertaining fights and will fight any man who stands in front of him.
The list of names the 30-year-old has defeated is quite emphatic in a short space of time in the UFC. Derek Brunson, Darren Till and Robert Whittaker are just a few of the star names Dricus du Plessis has defeated in his stellar UFC career to date.
Be sure to claim the various sports betting apps and free UFC bets available on the SportsLens site ahead of Strickland’s next fight.
