Dricus du Plessis News
Sean Strickland reacts after booking title fight against Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 297: “Didn’t want to fight in Jan or in Canada”
Cole Shelton - November 6, 2023
Sean Strickland has reacted to the news that he will be defending his middleweight title in the main event of UFC 297 on Jan. 20 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada against Dricus Du Plessis. On Monday afternoon, UFC CEO Dana White announced that Strickland will headline UFC 297 against Du Plessis in a very intriguing fight. It will be the first time Strickland defends his middleweight title, but according to the champ, he says he didn’t want to fight in January, or in Canada.
Dricus Du Plessis reacts to talk of Khamzat Chimaev receiving the next title shot against Sean Strickland: “I have this weird feeling”
Susan Cox - October 30, 2023
Dricus Du Plessis is reacting to talk of Khamzat Chimaev receiving the next title shot against Sean Strickland. The undefeated Chimaev (13-0 MMA) is hot off a majority decision win over Kamaru Usman (20-4 MMA) at UFC 294.
Michael Bisping believes Dricus Du Plessis is “really pissed off” about the Kamaru Usman vs. Khamzat Chimaev fight booking: “He should be fighting for the belt”
Harry Kettle - October 16, 2023
UFC commentator Michael Bisping believes Dricus du Plessis will be frustrated about not getting a title shot. Following on from his win over Robert Whittaker, it seemed as if Dricus du Plessis was destined to be the next man in line to fight Israel Adesanya for the UFC middleweight championship. Alas, it didn’t quite work out that way. Instead, Sean Strickland battled and beat Adesanya at UFC 293 after du Plessis was unable to make a quick turnaround.
Chael Sonnen explains why the UFC won’t want to give Dricus Du Plessis the next middleweight title shot: “That isn't how it works”
Josh Evanoff - September 28, 2023
Chael Sonnen has explained why UFC middleweight contender Dricus du Plessis won’t fight for gold next. ‘Stillknocks’ has been out of action since his title-eliminator matchup with Robert Whittaker at UFC 290 in July. There, Dricus du Plessis earned the biggest win of his career, scoring a second-round knockout win over ‘The Reaper’. Following the fight, he went face-to-face with Israel Adesanya for a highly controversial face-off.
Dricus Du Plessis responds to criticism from UFC President Dana White: “I don’t really understand”
Harry Kettle - September 13, 2023
Dricus du Plessis has given his thoughts on the criticism he’s received from UFC president Dana White. Earlier this summer, Dricus du Plessis put himself on the map in a big way at 185 pounds. He shocked the world by knocking out Robert Whittaker, establishing himself as a top middleweight contender. Following his face-off with Israel Adesanya after the bout, many felt as if he’d be next in line for a title shot at UFC 293 in Australia. Unfortunately, the South African sensation wouldn’t be healthy in time for the contest.
Chael Sonnen believes Dricus du Plessis will be forgotten after UFC 293: "Chimaev vs. Paulo Costa just became a number one contender's match"
Josh Evanoff - September 11, 2023
Chael Sonnen believes UFC middleweight Dricus du Plessis could be forgotten after this weekend. In the main event of UFC 293 on Saturday, Israel Adesanya returned to face Sean Strickland. While he was first expected to face Dricus du Plessis, ‘Stillknocks’ was still recovering from his win over Robert Whittaker in July. As a result, ‘Tarzan’ stepped up, and pulled off one of the biggest upsets ever.
Dricus Du Plessis slams Israel Adesanya's UFC 293 performance: "Get your sh*t together"
Fernando Quiles Jr. - September 11, 2023
Dricus Du Plessis has gone off on Israel Adesanya for his performance at UFC 293. This past Saturday night (September 9), Adesanya put the UFC middleweight prize on the line against Sean Strickland. Many expected this to be a cakewalk for “The Last Stylebender.” Instead, Adesanya had no answer for Strickland’s relentless pressure. “Izzy” was even dropped by a punch in the opening frame. In the end, Strickland took home UFC gold via unanimous decision.
Dricus Du Plessis reacts to Sean Strickland’s shocking upset over Israel Adesanya at UFC 293: “Makes no difference to me”
Fernando Quiles Jr. - September 10, 2023
Dricus Du Plessis has given his response to Sean Strickland pulling off a stunning upset over Israel Adesanya at UFC 293. Du Plessis initially had the UFC 293 headlining spot, but he wasn’t going to be healed in time for the September 9 date. Instead, Strickland stepped in and he made the absolute most of his opportunity. Strickland dropped Adesanya in the first round, and things just unraveled for “The Last Stylebender.” The pressure from Strickland was relentless and he ended up taking the middleweight title via unanimous decision.
Dana White uncertain if Dricus Du Plessis will get the next middleweight title shot: "I don’t love when guys turn down fights"
Cole Shelton - September 6, 2023
UFC president Dana White has taken aim at Dricus Du Plessis. After Du Plessis beat Robert Whittaker in July, all signs pointed to the South African getting the next title shot as Israel Adesanya even went in the cage to faceoff with him. However, Dricus Du Plessis revealed he had an injury and wasn’t able to make the quick turnaround to face Adesanya in Sydney, Australia this weekend at UFC 293.
UFC 293 headliner Israel Adesanya hasn't forgotten about Dricus du Plessis: "I do want that fight"
Fernando Quiles Jr. - August 27, 2023
UFC Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya still has Dricus du Plessis on his radar. Adesanya is scheduled to put his 185-pound gold at stake against Sean Strickland at UFC 293 on September 9 in Sydney, Australia. The initial plan was to have Adesanya and du Plessis fight for the middleweight title following “Stillknocks'” second-round TKO finish over Robert Whittaker. Things didn’t pan out as Dricus du Plessis wasn’t going to be healed in time for UFC 293.
Israel Adesanya warns Dricus Du Plessis that he has not secured a title opportunity: “He’s not calling the shots, I am”
Harry Kettle - August 15, 2023
Israel Adesanya has issued a warning to Dricus du Plessis that he hasn’t necessarily earned a shot at the title yet. Back at UFC 290, Israel Adesanya and Dricus du Plessis faced off in the Octagon following the latter’s win over Robert Whittaker. By all accounts, it seemed as if du Plessis would get the next shot at Adesanya’s UFC middleweight championship. However, with Dricus not being ready in time for UFC 293, Sean Strickland got the call instead.
Coach claims Dricus Du Plessis may not receive a title shot after failing to step up against Israel Adesanya at UFC 293
Harry Kettle - August 11, 2023
City Kickboxing’s Eugene Bareman has questioned whether or not Dricus du Plessis will end up receiving a title shot. After his win over Robert Whittaker earlier this summer, it seemed like a certainty that Dricus du Plessis would challenge Israel Adesanya for the UFC middleweight championship. It was also suggested that it would take place at UFC 293, which takes place in Sydney, Australia next month.
Sean Strickland slams Robert Whittaker for his UFC 290 loss to Dricus Du Plessis: “He is a one-tricky f**king pony”
Susan Cox - July 25, 2023
Sean Strickland is slamming former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker for his UFC 290 loss to Dricus Du Plessis. It was earlier this month that Robert Whittaker (24-7 MMA) and Dricus Du Plessis (20-2 MMA) met in the Octagon at UFC 290. The result was a TKO loss for Whittaker at 2:23 of round 2.
Dricus Du Plessis explains why he walked away from Israel Adesanya during confrontation at UFC 290: “I don’t want to be a part of this”
Harry Kettle - July 21, 2023
Dricus du Plessis has explained why he opted to walk away from Israel Adesanya during their intense showdown at UFC 290. Following his win over Robert Whittaker at UFC 290, Dricus du Plessis was confronted by Israel Adesanya in the Octagon. The encounter featured plenty of slurs coming from Adesanya, some of them being of a racial nature. It seemed as if du Plessis wasn’t too interested in engaging with the champion, preferring to wait until he gets in the cage with him again before letting his fists do the talking.
Robert Whittaker breaks silence after Dricus du Plessis loss: "Worst performance of my career"
Josh Evanoff - July 20, 2023
Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker has reflected on his loss to Dricus du Plessis. ‘The Reaper’ returned to the octagon earlier this month at UFC 290. There, he faced Dricus du Plessis in a middleweight title eliminator. Sitting cage-side was middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, who was vocal about wanting to face ‘Stillknocks’ next. Luckily for ‘The Last Stylebender’, he got his wish.
Israel Adesanya claims he is now fighting Sean Strickland at UFC 293 as Dricus Du Plessis won't accept
Cole Shelton - July 19, 2023
Israel Adesanya says he won’t be fighting Dricus Du Plessis his next time out. At UFC 290, Du Plessis was fighting Robert Whittaker in a title-eliminator fight with the winner set to face Adesanya next. Ultimately, it was Dricus Du Plessis who won by second-round TKO in a phenomenal performance. After the win, Adesanya and Du Plessis had a faceoff and all signs pointed to the two fighting in Australia in September.
Henry Cejudo shares the “path to victory” for Dricus Du Plessis in UFC title fight with Israel Adesanya
Susan Cox - July 18, 2023
Henry Cejudo is sharing the ‘path to victory’ for Dricus Du Plessis in his upcoming UFC title fight with Israel Adesanya. Dricus Du Plessis (20-2 MMA) is hot off a TKO victory at 2:23 of Round 2 over Robert Whittaker (25-7 MMA) earlier this month at UFC 290.
Israel Adesanya talks controversial Dricus du Plessis UFC 290 face-off: "I lost my s*it"
Josh Evanoff - July 17, 2023
Former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya has given his side of his face-off with Dricus du Plessis. ‘The Last Stylebender’ was last seen at UFC 290 earlier this month. The middleweight champion was in attendance to support his friend and teammate, Alexander Volkanovski, who was in the main event. While ‘The Great’ scored a stoppage win over Yair Rodriguez, Israel Adesanya was also there for another reason.