The former middleweight champion said he was happy with everything he achieved in his victory on his UFC return in Oklahoma on Sunday.
Dricus du Plessis says he is ready to have a crack at the middleweight belt again. Picture: Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Dricus du Plessis said he could not have asked for a better return to the octagon as he began his journey back to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight division with a dominant victory on Sunday morning.
The South African returned after an 11-month hiatus at UFC Fight Night Oklahoma City and powered his way to an unanimous points victory over Nigeria’s Kamaru Usman.
“I felt completely in that flow state, we did everything that we trained and I felt like every round was mine,” DDP said at the post-fight press conference on Sunday.
Du Plessis desperately needed to make a statement in this fight after he lost his belt to Russian Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319 in August last year. And he did exactly that as the judge’s scorecards (50-45, 49-46, and 49-46) showed afterwards.
Massive question marks about his wrestling defence were raised in the loss to Chimaev, something he said he needed to work on after that fight.
“I am so happy that I got to showcase my takedown defence. I am glad that I got taken down once, showing that even if you take me down, you aren’t holding me down.
“I think we had the perfect plan and I don’t think we could have done it any better,” he said.
One major plus point in this victory was the composure shown by the South African, who previously had the tendency to go crazy and try and knock his opponent out when he had him rocked.
“It’s the small margins at this level (of fighting) that either makes you a contender or a champion, and I don’t like being a contender.”
When Du Plessis was asked if he deserved a shot at the current champion, Sean Strickland – who he has beaten twice before – his response was straight to the point.
“Absolutely,” DDP said with a stern look on his face.
Asked when he would like to get back into the octagon, Du Plessis said he just wants to enjoy the win and the celebration.
“During the camp all I was craving was American wings, so that is what I will be doing next. And for every wing I will be having a beer.”
