Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

Dricus Du Plessis Reveals The Fighter He Thought Could Put His Lights Out!

Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

Dricus Du Plessis is the reigning and defending Middleweight champion of the UFC. He is the first South African fighter to win a UFC title and is one of the best fighters on the current UFC roster. Du Plessis is ranked as the 7th best pound-for-pound fighter and has taken down many big named fighters in his division. He will now defend his title for the second time against a familiar opponent in Sean Strickland in UFC 312. The first time Du Plessis fought Strickland, it was a close fight but he ultimately won via decision. Since then, Du Plessis has defended his title against Adesanya once and was victorious in UFC 305.

Du Plessis is undefeated in the UFC so far. He has fought 8 times in his UFC career and has not never lost. A part of that is due to his striking prowess. Du Plessis land 6.18 strikes in a minute which sits at second amongst all-time middleweight fighters. He is also excellent when it comes to his takedowns as Du Plessis has an takedown accuracy of 50% which ranks 3rd in the middleweight division. He has a good overall game and knows when to take the fight to the ground or exchange blows while he’s on his feet.

Du Plessis is not scared of anybody in the UFC. However, he recently revealed that he was nervous going against one fighter in the UFC. Du Plessis knew that a mistake against that caliber of an opponent, may put you to sleep! Let’s find out who that fighter is.

Dricus Du Plessis was nervous taking on Israel Adesanya in UFC 305

Dricus Du Plessis recently went on UFC legend Demetrious Johnson’s podcast, Mighty and revealed how he felt facing off against Israel Adesanya in UFC 305. He said “The nerves for that fight was something… I would say the most nervous I’ve been for a fight. Even more nervous than fighting for the titles itself purely because knowing the pedigree that I’m fighting.” Du Plessis continued “You’re fighting a guy that can literally, with one mistake, put your lights out.”

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This comes as no surprise as Izzy has knocked fighters out, cold, in the past. Du Plessis clearly knew this and even though he made Izzy tap out in the fourth round of the contest, he had taken significant amount of strikes. The damage was done but Du Plessis just found a way to win. He’s the only fighter who made Izzy lose via submission.

Who is Dricus Du Plessis fighting next?

Dricus Du Plessis is fighting against Sean Strickland for his second title defense at UFC 312. Du Plessis won the first matchup via decision in UFC 297 and striped the title away from Strickland. This time, Strickland is out for blood and this fight should truly determine who is the better fighter amongst the two.

Ready to kill or be killed
Fight week is finally here!#ufc312🇦🇺 #stillknocks pic.twitter.com/xD6kRlXDUj
— Dricus Du Plessis (@dricusduplessis) February 3, 2025

Dricus Du Plessis

Israel Adesanya

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