Local MMA star gets his big shot at world fame in UFC title fight
Pretoria's MMA superstar, Dricus du Plessis, will fight in less than two weeks in Canada in the UFC 297 tournament for the middleweight world championship belt and several experts of the sport believe that he has a very good chance of winning.
According to all indications, there is a very good chance that later this month Pretoria will be able to boast of South Africa’s very first Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) world champion.
The local mixed martial arts (MMA) superstar, Dricus du Plessis, will get his big opportunity in the UFC 297 tournament in Toronto, Canada on January 20, when he fights for the world title against the American, Sean Strickland.
Although any MMA fight is usually unpredictable and anything is possible in such a full-contact sport, many experts believe that Du Plessis, who fights from Morné Visser’s Team CIT MMA gym in Hatfield, Pretoria, has a very good chance of returning to South Africa as champion.
Footage of DDP and Strickland getting pulled apart after coming to blows. pic.twitter.com/3YWAebvRKX
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) December 17, 2023
Du Plessis, who had his first fight under the banner of the UFC in October 2020, is still undefeated after six fights and therefore the first contender for Strickland’s title.
Strickland dethroned the former champion, Israel Adesanya from New Zealand, in September last year, after there were initially plans for Du Plessis and Adesanya to face each other. This Californian is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist with twenty UFC fights under his belt, since he first fought under the banner of this organization in March 2014.
In these twenty fights, he lost five times, while knocking out his opponent four times, winning once by chokehold and the other ten victories were achieved via points decisions.
Photo: Foto Steve Marcus/UFC
Du Plessis, on the other hand, has a background in judo, wrestling and kickboxing, which equips him to be a very well-rounded MMA athlete. His background as a judoka and wrestler makes him deceptively strong on his feet and in his upper body.
The UFC middleweight title fight between Du Plessis and Strickland is already attracting great attention worldwide in MMA ranks and among fans of this sport. This will be the main event on the fight card of the UFC 297 tournament.
The hype surrounding the fight was fueled by an incident last month during the UFC 296 tournament in Las Vegas, America. Du Plessis and Strickland were both guests at the tournament and the South African sat three rows behind the champion in the audience. At one point between fights, the TV cameras focused on the two fighters in the audience. As Du Plessis teased his upcoming opponent with upside-down thumbs, Strickland turned and made a sign with his fingers as if he was shooting a handgun at Du Plessis.
As we continue the countdown to #UFC297, @dricusduplessis makes it very clear that his only motivation is winning the title. pic.twitter.com/Vqce4sx36F
— Ben Karpinski (@followthebounce) December 29, 2023
Du Plessis continued to tease Strickland, after which the American suddenly turned around and jumped over two rows of chairs to pummel the South African with his fists.
The two athletes had to be kept apart by onlookers and security guards, after which both were removed from the audience to prevent further incidents.
Several local celebrities and South African sports stars have already wished Du Plessis good luck for the fight via social media.
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