South Africa’s UFC star Dricus “Stillknocks” du Plessis sat down with BGTN ahead of his departure for the biggest fight of his life against Sean Strickland on the 20th of January 2024.
BGTN has put together some of the things that you didn’t know about du Plessis.
1.Dricus Du Plesis is the Springbok of the Ultimate Fighting Championship and loves rugby
DDP not ͏only immersed himself in marti͏al arts during his school days but he also actively participated in rugby. Throughout his schooling years, he passionate͏ly supported the Springboks, South Africa’s national rugby team.
“I’ve always been a big rugby guy. I have massive, massive respect for professional rugby. I know quite a few of them. I’ve trained with them at my gym. Some of them came for some wrestling exercises, great for rugby,” Du Plessis disclosed to Big Jim during an exclusive interview for RugbyPass TV.
2. ‘Stillknocks’ has never lost a fight in 5 years
Du Plessis (20-2-0) has won eight fights in a row, including all six in the UFC, since a loss to German Roberto Soldic on the card of Polish promotion KSW in London in October 2018. Of his 20 victories, only one has gone the distance.
Du Plessis looks to add to that winning streak on January 20 in Toronto when he takes on middleweight champion Sean (Tarzan) Strickland in the main event of UFC 297 at Scotiabank Arena.
ALSO READ: EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Dricus ‘Stillknocks’ Du Plessis – The man behind the punch
3. First South African UFC champion
Should Dricus win the fight against Shean Strickland, he will become the first South African UFC champion.
I believe he will win this one.
“That’s going to be history made for South Africa, for the UFC, for Africa and MMA, the whole continent,” he told TNT Sports.
“For me, this has been a lifelong dream, a lifelong goal, a journey. It’s going to be the best moment of my whole life.”
He continued: “I knew I was going to get a title fight. I was the deserving No. 1 contender and I just believe that everything will always work out the way it should.DDP said.
4.Hasn’t changed his gym for 12 years
Du Plessis achieved a TKO victory over the heavily favoured Whittaker, earning himself a shot at the middleweight gold. After his victory, ‘Stillknocks’ revealed that it was his coach, Morne Visser, who deserved all the credit.
At the post-UFC 290 press meet, the South African lauded his coach for creating an incredible game plan that helped him achieve the victory.
Du Plessis mentioned: “I think the game plan, my coach, Morne Visser, is obviously a guru at this. He is the man who put this all together, coming out and fighting Southpaw against a guy like Whitaker.”
5. 2nd degree black belt in kickboxing
At 22, just three years after his MMA professional debut, he became the EFC Welterweight champion.
Du Plessis is a high-level professional kickboxer with 2nd degree black belt in kickboxing.
6. Du Plessis underwent surgery to fix a breathing impairment in his nose
“As a coach, I don’t believe it’s my place to get involved with the politics between the fighters, but today I do,” Morne Visser wrote on Instagram.
“Dricus has been crucified by many watching him fighting in the UFC for his gas tank.
Well, here are some facts never disclosed to the public or his opponents.
He has just had nose surgery, which was supposed to happen three years ago.
Total oxygen intake threw both his nostrils of about 8% for the last three years.
“We signed with the UFC knowing this, but we also knew that you don’t say NO for ANY fight that the boss man Dana White offers you (he doesn’t like pissy’s). We fought 3 times in the last 7 months. Crushing our opponents with almost no oxygen during the rounds. The problem was fixed last week.”
ALSO READ: Up close and personal with South African mixed martial arts champ Dricus du Plessis
7. He is a shrewd businessman
According to Coach Vusi from Dricus Gym,CIT in Pretoria,South Africa.”Dricus is a full package and he is my employer,a family man and above all a humble individual. For him family comes first”, Coach Vusi said.
Away from the cage, du Plessis is an entrepreneur thanks to the Stillknocks Meat Co. The products are made up of a dried, cured meat called biltong originating in Southern African countries.
“It’s similar to jerky, but it’s real meat,” Dricus explained, calling it a taste of South Africa.
8.’Hulle weet nie wat ons weet nie’
UFC star Dricus du Plessis coined the phrase echoed loud and clear during the Springbok’s triumph at the Rugby World Cup in France in 2023.
