ULTIMATE SUPPORT
Springboks rally behind Dricus du Plessis as middleweight history beckons for undefeated UFC star
Siya Kolisi, Willie le Roux and Ox Nche get behind Dricus du Plessis as he prepares to take on Sean Strickland for the middleweight belt at UFC 297 this weekend.
South Africa’s Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) superstar Dricus du Plessis has a date with destiny early on Sunday morning (South African time) when he faces the US’s Sean Strickland at UFC 297 in Toronto, Canada, for the middleweight title.
Du Plessis is undefeated since he stepped into the octagon for the first time at the UFC in October 2020. He now has a deserved title shot against Strickland, who will be defending the middleweight title for the first time since knocking out former champion Israel Adesanya at UFC 293 in September last year.
At around the same time, the Springboks were defending their Rugby World Cup title in France. They recaptured it against the All Blacks on 28 October, winning 12-11, and Du Plessis was in attendance, cheering fervently for his home nation.
Read more in Daily Maverick: Dricus du Plessis’s fight to bring the belt back home
Du Plessis was also the flag-bearer for the Springboks’ Rugby Championship clash against the All Blacks at Ellis Park on 13 August 2022 — which the home side lost 23-35.
Dricus du Plessis (left) as the South African flag bearer during The Rugby Championship match between South Africa and New Zealand at Emirates Airline Park in Johannesburg on 13 August, 2022. (Photo: Anton Geyser / Gallo Images)
The Springboks have now returned the support for the 30-year-old mixed martial arts star.
“Dricus my ‘chom’ [friend], all the best for the [fight] against Strickland,” Springbok captain Siya Kolisi said to SuperSport.
“I know the country’s going to get behind you. You have all our support, as South Africa.
“The way you supported us during the Rugby World Cup was amazing. I am looking forward to seeing the fight on SuperSport, where we’re going to have it for the first time in English, Afrikaans and isiXhosa commentary.”
Fighter’s famous phrase
Du Plessis earned his shot at the UFC middleweight title by defeating Australia’s Robert Whittaker in a second-round knockout in July last year.
After the bout, with a mic in hand, he looked directly at the camera and spoke his now famous phrase: “Hulle weet nie wat ons weet nie.” (They don’t know what we know.)
The phrase was echoed by Springbok players throughout the World Cup celebrations. Du Plessis explained to Daily Maverick at the end of last year that the phrase is about South African athletes constantly beating the odds.
“No matter how much of an underdog we are, like we were in the [Rugby] World Cup … we don’t care, we do not care,” he said.
“If you look at a guy like Chad le Clos, who beat Michael Phelps, the greatest Olympian ever, that was exactly the same situation.
“You look at a guy like [sprinter] Wayde van Niekerk … just all of the South Africans all over the world [who have] made history. It’s something that’s in our nature as South Africans; we do not care about odds.”
Dricus Du Plessis of South Africa reacts after defeating Darren Till of England. (Photo: Sean M Haffey / Getty Images)
Du Plessis has gone into every one of his six UFC fights as an underdog and come out with his arms raised aloft.
“Everyone, support the man and scream for the man. It’s a big title fight and we are here and behind you and the whole nation is behind you. We back you all the way, the way that you backed us,” Springbok fullback Willie le Roux said on X (formerly Twitter).
Ox Nche, whose impressive scrummaging power made him a recognisable household name during the Rugby World Cup also backed the MMA fighter on the same platform.
“Please don’t miss the chance to catch [Du Plessis] out as he aims for UFC glory. All the best, Dricus. We are all behind you,” Nche said. DM
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Shame on the Daily Maverick to in any way endorse such barbarism. Ditto our national broadcasters SABC and SAFM which actually air/advertise EFC events (EXTREME Fighting Championship). Virtually every talk show on SAFM has a sports segment with time wasted with sound clips of sports figures struggling to find something meaningful to say about their successes/failures. And yet nothing equivalent for the arts even though there is so much to report on in our culturally rich country. Sports appeal to the lesser angels of our nature (e.g. agression, machismo and competition) while the arts edify and speak to the best of what we are.
Just in case anyone thinks I am overstating or being dramatic calling UFC “barbarism”, just check the YouTube video captioned: “Ruthless Boer Setting the UFC on Fire”.
Shame on you and your base assumptions, Jeff, to paint everyone with the same brush. You’ve clearly never engaged in any form of competition in your life. Let’s not even get into the martial arts. Your contemptuous (and contemptible) ignorance in this matter is noted. The elitism oozing from your pores is also a key reason why so many people are turned off of “the arts” (maybe if they knew about the scatological perversions of luminaries such as Mozart they’d indeed be far more interested). Not sure you understand the basic principles of supply and demand, either.
Sorry man. I seemed to have caught you on a bad day. But thanks anyway. Your reply was genuinely illuminating and I hope you won’t mind me sharing it more widely. I especially loved your anti-elitist jibe referencing Mozart’s “scatological perversions”. I am a bit confused by your seeming inference that sports are less elitist than the arts. But I do get it that there is a big demand for competitions involving violence, where victory is achieved through the infliction of pain and trauma. I just did not expect that the Daily Maverick would have anything to do with it.
Oh my word Jeff!!!
Stop being so judgemental.
UFC is one of the most honest sports in the world today.
There is very little interference from the officials. Most judges decisions are fair. Literally, the best man wins.
If you want to call it barbarism, don’t watch.
Go watch you ballet with men in pink tights.
“Men in pink tights”? Your post is even more illuminating than Tristan’s. I can at least agree that UFC is honestly brutal.
Jeff’s face also “illuminated” by the candle lit dinner for one he can enjoy on fight night.
Nice one William – a poetic though unkind way of confirming that my take on UFC is a minority one. The masses dig it, so I must just suck it up.
A lifetime of training goes into what Dricus does. Were not all the same ,some are athletes some are artists.
The free market ideally ,effectively decides the value of different pursuit’s and professions depending on how much value or entertainment they provide to other people.
Lucky for some of us who are both athletes and artists. Indeed, one can find much in a good rugby match that I would call artistic. Sadly for many (you perhaps), ‘value or entertainment’ are matters concerning which innate appetites something most successfully satisfies. Hence the market’s continual appeal to the four F’s (feeding, fleeing, fighting and fornicating).
Sport is sport. How is MMA any different from boxing or rugby, Jeff? Or would you prefer everyone played chess instead? Oh but wait, chess is also known to breed psychological feelings of darkness in young children because of how you need to dominate and better your opponent. If you’re so turned off by sport, simply don’t watch. Free will Jeff, free will.
I am anything but “turned off” by sport, rather believing that it does a great deal of social good. I am just against barbarism and agression which, in my view, should deny the status of being called a sport to pursuits like UFC. I have some experience with martial ARTS which celebrates prowess (such as sports) but is in no way about agression and inflicting pain and trauma. It is a proud and worthy tradition that should never have been conflated with the likes of UFC.
My last contribution, I promise. But this Mark Twain quote which I just came across was just too apropos: “If you find yourself with the majority, it is time for a change.” All human progress can be attributed to individuals following this approach. The rest of us just go with flow, just play the gig, do not question, seem devoid of much curiosity, and are content with just being entertained. To seek edification is just an elitist notion.
I dont want to enter the debate Jeff started. And not throwing down any of my personal credentials in reply. Dricus is a sportsman. Nothing more, nothing less. Rugby is a pretty brutal game, for one. Boxing I find worse. Dricus I guess has been working to get to the top of his game for a long time. I wish him well and may he win the belt over the week-end. I have no affiliation or liking of his game, but I do respect athletes. I’ll watch the match. Go Dricus