Daniel Cormier praises Dricus du Plessis following his title win at UFC 297: “I never thought that we’d be here today”

By Harry Kettle - January 23, 2024

UFC commentator Daniel Cormier has praised Dricus du Plessis following his big title win at UFC 297.

Dricus Du Plessis, UFC 297, UFC

Last Saturday night, Dricus du Plessis finally made it to the top of the mountain. The South African superstar won the UFC middleweight championship, defeating Sean Strickland in an incredibly close decision. In doing so, he became the first fighter from his country to win a UFC belt and the fourth African fighter to accomplish that goal.

While many are already focusing on what’s next, others want to sit back and take in what DDP was able to achieve.

RELATED: Dricus Du Plessis responds after Sean Strickland calls foul in UFC 297 title loss: “Why don’t you cry about it AGAIN”

That includes Daniel Cormier, who made a point during his post-fight analysis video to admit that he didn’t expect to see du Plessis hold the gold.

Cormier’s du Plessis surprise

“The amount of fight parties they had in South Africa to watch this guy is crazy,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel. “The entire country exploded when he became champion. I’ll tell you this: I never thought that we’d be here today where Dricus Du Plessis is the middleweight champion of the world. I didn’t know, but as he told me earlier in the weekend, as I now understand, he does things his own way.

“I am learning, even though I’ve been in this game for a long time, that all mixed martial arts doesn’t look the same. Sometimes it looks different, and Dricus Du Plessis looks different. But, as I now have gained an appreciation for his style, I know what it looks like to me now. It looks like a champion of the world, because that’s exactly what Dricus is.”

Quotes via MMA Junkie

What’s next for Dricus du Plessis? Let us know your thoughts, BJPENN Nation!


Topics:

Daniel Cormier Dricus du Plessis UFC