Derek Brunson vs. Dricus Du Plessis booked for UFC 285

Derek Brunson will look to return to the win column at UFC 285.

According to ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, Brunson is set to return to the Octagon at UFC 285 on March 4 against Dricus Du Plessis. The event is expected to take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Derek Brunson (23-8) is coming off a second-round knockout loss to Jared Cannonier at UFC 271 in February. He was then booked to face Jack Hermansson at UFC Orlando but an injury forced him to pull out of that fight.

Prior to Brunson’s loss to Cannonier – which was a title eliminator – he was on a five-fight winning streak. During the win streak, he beat Darren Till, Kevin Holland, Edmen Shahbazyan, Ian Heinisch, and Elias Theodorou. Brunson is currently ranked fifth at middleweight and recently walked back on retirement talk by saying he plans on four fights in 2023. In the UFC, he’s 14-6 with notable wins over Lyoto Machida, Uriah Hall, and Sam Alvey among others.

Meanwhile, Dricus Du Plessis (18-2) is a perfect 4-0 in the UFC. Last time out, he picked up the biggest win of his career as he scored a third-round submission over Darren Till at UFC 282. The South African is ranked 10th at middleweight. He also has a decision win over Brad Tavares and knockout wins over Trevin Giles and Markus Perez.

Before signing with the UFC, Du Plessis fought in EFC and KSW and was the KSW welterweight champion and became the champ with a knockout victory over Roberto Soldic.

With the addition of Derek Brunson vs. Dricus Du Plessis, UFC 285 is as follows:

• Derek Brunson vs. Dricus Du Plessis
• Viviane Araujo vs. Amanda Ribas
• Bo Nickal vs. Jamie Pickett
• Jessica Penne vs. Tabatha Ricci
• Farid Basharat vs. Da’Mon Blackshear
• Cody Garbrandt vs. Julio Arce
• Mario Bautista vs. Guido Cannetti
• Julian Marquez vs. Marc-Andre Barriault

Who do you think will win at UFC 285, Derek Brunson or Dricus Du Plessis?