Athletes
Dricus Du Plessis: ‘This Is Everything’
With A Potential Title Shot On The Line, South African Middleweight Dricus Du Plessis Is Completely Locked In On Robert Whittaker At UFC 290: Volkanovski vs Rodriguez
Dricus Du Plessis loves calling his shot. Since arriving to the UFC in 2020, the South African middleweight has done nothing but deliver banger after banger and finish after finish (four in five UFC fights, to be exact). Given the way Israel Adesanya has run through the division during his title reign, Du Plessis put himself in a position to earn a title shot should he get past former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker at UFC 290: Volkanovski vs Rodriguez.
Fighting a name like Whittaker on a card as stacked as UFC 290 during International Fight Week makes for a hectic pre-fight schedule for anyone, but Du Plessis isn’t really fazed by the bright lights thus far. In fact, it’s getting him more and more locked in as the fight approaches.
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“The media, it gets me talking, gets me thinking, and it gives me the opportunity,” Du Plessis told UFC.com. “I love to say what I want to do and go out and do it. This gives you that opportunity. It creates more for the void. I enjoy it, and it gets me hyped up, too. It’s not a distraction at all. Every time, it gets bigger and bigger, and that's a testimony to where we started and where we are right now.”
If Du Plessis has created a trend throughout his UFC tenure, it’s one of upward trajectory. Other than his debut, he has fought exclusively on pay-per-views against a list of names that speak to a contender on the rise.
That steady rise, paired with Du Plessis’ rock-solid mentality and confidence, fortifies his mindset as the stage continues to grow. Not only is he accustomed to the Octagon, but he is also on solid footing when it comes to continuously taking another step up the divisional ladder.
“Every fight is the biggest fight of my career because without winning your debut, you're not going to be fighting for the one contender spot in the world,” he said. “Every fight after that leads to higher and higher and higher (spots), climbing the ladder, and at the top of the pile, the champion.”
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His last two wins over Darren Till and Derek Brunson had their moments of back-and-forth flurries but, ultimately, “Stillknocks” showed his grit and finishing instincts in both matchups.
He'll need that in spades against Whittaker, who hasn’t lost to anyone at 185 pounds other than Israel Adesanya. It’s a fascinating matchup for myriad reasons, but especially considering 18 of Du Plessis’ 19 wins came via finish (the lone decision coming against Brad Tavares), whereas Whittaker has only been finished thrice in his 14-year professional career.
To that point, Du Plessis did everything he could to prepare for the former champion. That meant not only going through a tough training camp, but also finally undergoing a procedure on his nose that allows him to breathe better for the first time in years. Against the best of the best, every detail matters.
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“It's a huge mountain,” du Plessis said. “It's a huge adversary to kill. Anything other than 100 percent focus will lead to my demise, and I won't let that happen. It was easy to stay focused on Robert Whittaker. He requires that focus. For me, this is the last fight of my career, in my opinion.
“For me, this is everything. This is my world title fight.”
It’s the mentality you want to hear from a contender on the doorstep. Whittaker has vanquished any hopeful contender since losing his title to Adesanya in October 2019.
Although Du Plessis is only three years Whittaker’s junior, the gap in high-level experience is stark. By the time Du Plessis made his professional debut in July 2013, Whittaker was half a year into his UFC tenure. Du Plessis acknowledges that as a layer within their matchup, but he also believes in his unique blend of skills and toughness to get the job done and grant himself yet another biggest fight of his career.
“No amount of experience can prepare you for what is about to happen,” he said. “(Whittaker) hasn't faced anybody like me. My style is different. A lot of people say odd, but it's getting finishes and getting wins at the end of the day.”
UFC 290: Volkanovski vs Rodriguez took place live from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on July 8, 2023. See the Final Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!