Dricus du Plessis News

Fernando Quiles Jr. - February 4, 2025

Reigning UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis has named the one fight that had him more nervous than any other bout in his career. Du Plessis worked his way up to the top of the mountain, defeating the likes of Robert Whittaker, Sean Strickland, and Israel Adesanya. There was no easy path for “Stillknocks,” but he has emerged as a UFC champion.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - February 3, 2025

Dricus du Plessis admits he would’ve liked to have been defending his UFC middleweight gold against Khamzat Chimaev this weekend. Du Plessis will instead have a title rematch against the man he defeated for the 185-pound hardware, Sean Strickland. In their first meeting, du Plessis earned a split decision victory. Strickland stood firm in his stance that he wouldn’t take another fight outside of his win over Paulo Costa before getting a chance to reclaim the middleweight title.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - February 2, 2025

Sean Strickland is not a fan of what the judges look for when scoring MMA fights. Strickland is set for a rematch against reigning UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis. The two will do battle in the main event of UFC 312 on February 8th. Strickland lost the 185-pound gold to “Stillknocks” back in early 2024 via split decision. It’s a fight that Strickland believes he should’ve won and he blames the scoring criteria of judges for the defeat.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - January 30, 2025

Dricus du Plessis doesn’t sound too worried about Alex Pereira being in Sean Strickland’s corner. Pereira and Strickland were once opponents inside the Octagon, but have become training partners. Head coach Eric Nicksick recently told The Schmo that “Poatan” will be in Strickland’s corner for the middleweight title rematch against du Plessis at UFC 312 on February 8th. Strickland has heaped praise on Pereira as a sparring partner, and some are wondering if the UFC light heavyweight champion’s presence will give him a boost on fight night.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - January 22, 2025

Sean Strickland has proposed a pact to Dricus du Plessis ahead of their UFC 312 title rematch. Strickland will challenge du Plessis for the UFC Middleweight Championship inside Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia on February 8th. The two had a highly competitive title bout back in early 2024. Going into that bout, Strickland was the 185-pound titleholder. He dropped the belt to du Plessis via split decision.

Harry Kettle - January 19, 2025

UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev has teased the idea of moving all the way up to middleweight. Last night, Islam Makhachev became the most decorated lightweight in UFC history. He did so by successfully defending his belt for a fourth time, submitting Renato Moicano in what proved to be a dominant performance.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - December 11, 2024

Dricus du Plessis has revealed that a UFC title defense against Khamzat Chimaev was initially discussed. When du Plessis steps back inside Octagon, he’ll be facing a familiar foe. The reigning middleweight champion will go one-on-one with the man he narrowly defeated for the gold, Sean Strickland. The two first collided in early 2024 and it was du Plessis who scored the split decision win to capture the 185-pound gold.

Harry Kettle - December 10, 2024

UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis has issued a warning heading into his upcoming title showdown with Sean Strickland. At UFC 312, it’s been confirmed that Dricus du Plessis will defend his belt against Sean Strickland – the man he captured the title from. It’s a showdown that has been in the making for a while now, and although some felt as if Khamzat Chimaev deserved a crack at the gold, instead it will be former champion Strickland who gets the nod.

Harry Kettle - November 8, 2024

Dricus du Plessis believes he is capable of knocking out Alex Pereira after watching the latter’s victory over Khalil Rountree Jr. Right now, Dricus du Plessis is one of the most interesting fighters in mixed martial arts. He’s the UFC middleweight champion and he has wins over Robert Whittaker, Sean Strickland and Israel Adesanya.

Curtis Calhoun - November 7, 2024

Former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland has conditions for a potential title rematch with Dricus du Plessis next year. Strickland hasn’t fought since a split decision win against former title challenger Paulo Costa at UFC 302. After defeating Costa, Strickland dug his boots into the ground and refused to fight until a title shot was offered.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - October 31, 2024

Kamaru Usman is on the fence about whether or not Khamzat Chimaev can finish Dricus du Plessis. Chimaev has emerged as possibly the next UFC middleweight title contender. He stunned the MMA world by shoving Robert Whittaker’s bottom teeth in during his first-round submission win at UFC 308. Now, many are wondering if “Borz” has surpassed Sean Strickland in the pecking order at 185 pounds.

Curtis Calhoun - October 30, 2024

UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis addressed the ongoing debate surrounding who should get the next title shot after a wild night at UFC 308. Khamzat Chimaev defeated former titleholder Robert Whittaker by first-round submission in the UFC 308 co-main event last weekend. Chimaev, who is now 2-0 in his middleweight tenure, is on the cusp of getting his shot at UFC gold after a roller coaster last few years.

Harry Kettle - October 21, 2024

Anthony Hernandez has expressed his intention to push for a UFC middleweight title shot against Dricus du Plessis. For a while now, Anthony Hernandez has been on a roll in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. However, he didn’t quite have that signature win to really take him to the next level. Now, he does, as ‘Fluffy’ mauled Michel Pereira last weekend before capping a great performance off with a finish.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - October 18, 2024

Anthony Hernandez has respect for Dricus du Plessis, but he also plans to go after UFC gold. Hernandez is riding a five-fight winning streak. In that span, he’s beaten the likes of Roman Kopylov and Edmen Shahbazyan. You’ll have to go back to the pandemic era to find Hernandez’s last defeat, and that was against the crafty Kevin Holland.

Harry Kettle - October 14, 2024

UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis has seemingly predicted a finish for his next fight inside the cage. Over the course of the last few years, Dricus du Plessis has made a real name for himself in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He introduced himself as an emerging contender but in a short space of time, he made his way to the very top of the division.

Harry Kettle - October 5, 2024

Former UFC champion Sean Strickland has seemingly given away that his rematch with Dricus du Plessis won’t take place in America. As we know, Sean Strickland is a pretty outspoken guy. He’s never been afraid to voice his opinions to the masses, and the former middleweight king doesn’t really care who he offends. Still, even with that being the case, the real headline is that he’s still a big contender at 185 pounds.

Harry Kettle - October 4, 2024

Former UFC champion Miesha Tate has compared Julianna Pena’s striking to that of UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis. This weekend, Julianna Pena has the opportunity to reclaim UFC gold. She’ll be challenging Raquel Pennington for the UFC women’s bantamweight championship in the co-main event of UFC 307. In the eyes of many, despite being the challenger, she’s seen as the favorite to walk away with the belt.

Chris Taylor - September 28, 2024

It did not take long for Brendan Allen to respond to reigning UFC middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis. Allen (24-6 MMA) returned to action in the co-headliner of today’s UFC Paris event for a middleweight showdown with Nassourdine Imavov (15-4 MMA).