Dricus du Plessis (born 14 January 1994) is a South African professional

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorpo ...

currently competing in the Middleweight division of the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

(UFC). He previously competed in the Middleweight division of Extreme Fighting Championship (EFC), where he is the former Middleweight and Welterweight Champion. A professional since 2013, he has also competed for

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken *Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...

-based promotion KSW. In addition to being a two-time EFC Middleweight and former EFC Welterweight Champion, he is also a former KSW Welterweight Champion. As of December 13, 2022, he is #10 in the UFC middleweight rankings.

Background

Du Plessis started training judo at the age of five and eventually drifted to kickboxing at 14. Eventually he became a WAKO World Champion in K-1 style kickboxing, but migrated to mixed martial arts after realizing there was no money to be made in kickboxing. He attended

University of Pretoria The University of Pretoria ( af, Universiteit van Pretoria, nso, Yunibesithi ya Pretoria) is a multi-campus public university, public research university in Pretoria, the administrative and de facto capital of South Africa. The university was ...

where he studied

agricultural economics Agricultural economics is an applied field of economics concerned with the application of economic theory in optimizing the production and distribution of food and fiber products. Agricultural economics began as a branch of economics that specif ...

but dropped out during the final year to fully pursue a career in mixed martial arts.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Du Plessis made his professional debut in 2013, amassing an undefeated 4–0 record before facing future

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

veteran and then-EFC Middleweight Champion

Garreth McLellan Garreth McLellan (born 9 January 1982) is a South African professional mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the Middleweight division of the EFC. A professional since 2009, he was one of the first South African MMA fighters to co ...

at EFC Africa 33, losing via guillotine choke submission in the third round. In June 2015, Du Plessis made his Welterweight debut at EFC Africa 40 against Dino Bagattin, winning via a second-round rear-naked choke submission. After going 3–0 in 2015, Du Plessis faced veteran striker Martin Van Staden at EFC 50 for the vacant EFC Welterweight Championship. Du Plessis won via guillotine choke submission in the third round. Du Plessis was later set to defend his title against one of its former holders, Henry Fadipe. However, the bout was scrapped when Fadipe encountered issues with his visa. Du Plessis returned to EFC in 2017, defeating Brazilian Mauricio Da Rocha Jr. in a Welterweight contest before facing Yannick Bahati at EFC Africa 62 for the Middleweight Championship. Du Plessis won guillotine choke at 1:30 of the first round, becoming a two-weight class Champion within the promotion.

KSW

In 2018, Du Plessis was slated to face KSW Welterweight Champion Roberto Soldić for the KSW Welterweight Championship at KSW 43: Soldić vs. Du Plessis on April 14. In an upset, Du Plessis dethroned Soldic via TKO, after dropping him with a left hook. The two would later rematch at KSW 45: De Fries vs. Bedorf in the fall of that year, with Du Plessis being defeated via third-round knockout. Du Plessis fought again for KSW at KSW 50 against Brazilian-

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

fighter Joilton Santos, winning via TKO.

Return to EFC

After Brendan Lesar upset veteran

for the EFC Interim Middleweight Championship at EFC Africa 80, Du Plessis was next set to face Lesar for the title at EFC Africa 83. Du Plessis won via first-round guillotine choke submission.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Du Plessis made his promotional debut against

Markus Perez Markus Perez Echeimberg (born June 22, 1990) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist currently competing in the Middleweight division. A professional since 2013, he has also fought for Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), Jungle Fight and the Le ...

on 11 October 2020 at

UFC Fight Night 179 ''UFC Fight Night: Moraes vs. Sandhagen'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 179'', ''UFC on ESPN+ 37'' and ''UFC Fight Island 5'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on October 11, 2020 at ...

. He won the fight via knockout in round one. Du Plessis was scheduled to face

Trevin Giles Trevin Dewayne Giles (born August 6, 1992) is an American mixed martial artist (MMA). Giles currently competes in the welterweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background Giles was born in San Antonio, Texas, and was a f ...

on March 20, 2021 at

UFC on ESPN 21 ''UFC on ESPN: Brunson vs. Holland'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 21'' and ''UFC Vegas 22'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on March 20, 2021 at the UFC Apex facility in Enterprise, ...

. However, du Plessis pulled out due to visa issues which restricted his travel and was replaced by

Roman Dolidze Roman Dolidze (born July 15, 1988) is a Georgian mixed martial artist currently competing in the Middleweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor since 2016, Dolidze was the former World Warriors Fig ...

. The bout with Giles was rescheduled for July 10, 2021 on

UFC 264 ''UFC 264: Poirier vs. McGregor 3'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on July 10, 2021 at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United States. ...

. Du Plessis won the fight via knockout in round two. This win earned him the

Performance of the Night UFC Bonus Awards are three separate cash bonuses usually awarded to four fighters after each UFC event, based on internal decisions by UFC management. More/fewer bonuses have been awarded at some events, especially when no knockouts or submissions ...

award. Du Plessis was scheduled to face Chris Curtis on April 9, 2022 at UFC 273. However, Curtis withdrew due to a wrist injury and was replaced by

Anthony Hernandez Anthony Hernandez (born October 18, 1993) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional since 2014, he has also competed with Globa ...

. However, the bouts were yet again shuffled after Nassourdine Imavov withdrew due to visa issues, with Du Plessis now facing Kevin Gastelum. However, Gastelum withdrew a week before the event due to an undisclosed injury and his bout with du Plessis was cancelled. Du Plessis then faced Brad Tavares at

UFC 276 ''UFC 276: Adesanya vs. Cannonier'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on July 2, 2022, at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United States ...

on July 2, 2022. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Du Plessis faced

Darren Till Darren Till (born 24 December 1992) is an English professional mixed martial artist and former Muay Thai fighter. He currently competes in the middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of December 13, 2022, he is #1 ...

at UFC 282 on December 10, 2022. He won the fight via submission in round three. This fight earned him the '' Fight of the Night'' award. Du Plessis is scheduled to face

Derek Brunson Derek Brunson (born January 4, 1984) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Middleweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of September 5, 2022, he is #5 in the UFC middleweight ra ...

on March 4, 2023, at

UFC 285 ''UFC 285: Jones vs. Gane'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on March 4, 2023, at the T-Mobile Arena facility in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United State ...

Championships and accomplishments

(One time) ** Fight of the Night (One time) * Extreme Fighting Championship ** EFC Middleweight Champion (one time; former) ***One title defense ** EFC Welterweight Champion (one time; former) *

Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki (English: ''Martial Arts Confrontation'') better known by its initials KSW, is widely considered to be the premiere mixed martial arts organization in Poland and one of the leading in Europe. History Martin Lewandowsk ...

** KSW Welterweight Champion (one time; former) **Fight of the Night (one time) **Performance of the Night (one time)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 18–2 ,

, Submission (face crank) , UFC 282 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 2:43 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 17–2 , Brad Tavares , Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 16–2 ,

, KO (punches) ,

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:41 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–2 ,

, KO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Moraes vs. Sandhagen , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:22 , Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates , , - , Win , align=center, 14–2 , Brendan Lesar , Submission (guillotine choke) , EFC Africa 83 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:15 ,

Gauteng Gauteng ( ) is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. The name in Sotho-Tswana languages means 'place of gold'. Situated on the Highveld, Gauteng is the smallest province by land area in South Africa. Although Gauteng accounts for only ...

, South Africa , , - , Win , align=center, 13–2 , Joilton Santos , TKO (punches) , KSW 50 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:04 ,

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, England , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–2 , Roberto Soldić , KO (punches) , KSW 45 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 2:33 ,

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 12–1 , Roberto Soldić , TKO (punches) , KSW 43 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:37 ,

Wrocław Wrocław (; , . german: Breslau, , also known by other names) is a city in southwestern Poland and the largest city in the historical region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the Oder in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Europe, roughly ...

, Poland , , - , Win , align=center, 11–1 , Yannick Bahati , Submission (guillotine choke) , EFC Africa 62 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:30 ,

, South Africa , , - , Win , align=center, 10–1 , Maurício da Rocha Jr. , TKO (punches) , EFC Africa 59 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:58 ,

, South Africa , , - , Win , align=center, 9–1 , Rafał Haratyk , Submission (guillotine choke) , EFC Africa 56 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:34 ,

, South Africa , , - , Win , align=center, 8–1 , Martin van Staden , Submission (guillotine choke) , EFC Africa 50 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:59 ,

, South Africa , , - , Win , align=center, 7–1 , Bruno Mukulu , Submission (rear-naked choke) , EFC Africa 46 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:50 ,

, South Africa , , - , Win , align=center, 6–1 , Dino Bagattin , Submission (rear-naked choke) , EFC Africa 40 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:33 ,

, South Africa , , - , Win , align=center, 5–1 , Darren Daniel , Submission (rear-naked choke) , EFC Africa 37 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:50 ,

, South Africa , , - , Loss , align=center, 4–1 ,

, Submission (guillotine choke) , EFC Africa 33 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 2:12 ,

, South Africa , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Donavin Hawkey , TKO (punches) , EFC Africa 27 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:50 ,

, South Africa , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , JC Lambrecht , Submission (rear-naked choke) , EFC Africa 24 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:54 ,

, South Africa , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Bruno Mukulu , Submission (rear-naked choke) , EFC Africa 23 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:34 ,

, South Africa , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Tshikangu Makuebo , TKO (knee injury) , EFC Africa 21 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:18 ,

, South Africa , , -

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Du Plessis, Dricus 1994 births Living people South African male mixed martial artists Sportspeople from Pretoria Middleweight mixed martial artists Welterweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing kickboxing South African male kickboxers