Daily Maverick
Dailymaverick logo

Maverick News

This article is more than a year old

BLOODY VICTORY

Dricus du Plessis makes history as South Africa’s first UFC middleweight champion

South Africa has their first UFC champion after a bruising performance by Dricus du Plessis over Sean Strickland on Sunday.
Keanan Hemmonsbey
By Keanan Hemmonsbey
21 Jan
Keanan-Dricus future An elated Dricus du Plessis after his victory over Sean Strickland in their middleweight championship bout at the UFC 297 event at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, on 20 January 2024. (Photo: Jeff Bottari / Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

Dricus “Stillknocks” du Plessis became the first South African Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) belt holder after beating Sean Strickland by split decision on Sunday morning to take the middleweight belt from the champion.

It was a five-round bloodbath between the two big strikers but ultimately it was the burly South African who came away with the win at UFC 297’s main event in Toronto, Canada.

Du Plessis is now seven wins from seven fights in the UFC, having climbed up the rankings rapidly within four years. He called out former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya after the brawl as a possible first opponent to defend his belt. DM

Dricus du Plessis of South Africa won a split points decision against Sean Strickland to win the middleweight championship at UFC 297 event at Scotiabank Arena on January 20, 2024 in Toronto, Ontario. (Photo: Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Dricus du Plessis won a split-points decision against Sean Strickland to win the middleweight championship at UFC 297 event at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, on 20 January 2024. (Photo: Jeff Bottari / Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
(L-R) Dricus Du Plessis of South Africa land a left on Sean Strickland in a UFC middleweight championship bout during the UFC 297 (Photo: Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Dricus du Plessis lands a left on Sean Strickland during their UFC middleweight championship bout. (Photo: Jeff Bottari / Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
(L-R) Dricus Du Plessis of South Africa punches Sean Strickland in a UFC middleweight championship bout during the UFC 297 event at Scotiabank Arena on January 20, 2024 in Toronto, Ontario. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Dricus du Plessis punches Sean Strickland in the UFC middleweight championship bout in Toronto, Ontario, on 20 January 2024. (Photo: Jeff Bottari / Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Dricus Du Plessis of South Africa prepares to face Sean Strickland in a UFC middleweight championship bout during the UFC 297 event at Scotiabank Arena on 20 January 2024 in Toronto, Ontario. (Photo: Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Dricus du Plessis prepares to face Sean Strickland in a UFC middleweight championship bout at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, on 20 January 2024. (Photo: Jeff Bottari / Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

Comments

Loading your account…
Coen Gous 21 January 2024 09:38 AM

Gosh, I am so happy! World Champ in the most difficult weight category, in possibly the toughest sport on this planet!

Garth Kruger 21 January 2024 10:04 AM

Yster Dricus.

h***r@s***.co.za 21 January 2024 10:08 AM

Hulle het nie geweet wat ons weet nie! Congrats to a deserved winner who showed massive respect to Strickland in the immediate post-fight interview. Doing Mzansi proud! ?

gary.goldman 21 January 2024 10:17 AM

WTG 'Stillknocks' I cannot wait to see your first title defense of your UFC Middleweight Title

John Holloway 21 January 2024 10:21 AM

There's a time gap, of course, but shouldn't the article choose (and state) whether it's Canadian or S.A. time? The photo caption states '20th' (Canadian fight date) and the first paragraph 'Sunday' (S.A. fight day), both without qualification and therefore in apparent contradiction. Nitpicker.

stevenkelly82 21 January 2024 03:00 PM

So what, he won fair and square despite you "nitpicking". As a Nation, we should be proud of his achievement regardless of the time zone. We don't have much to cheer these days.

bforrest 21 January 2024 10:47 AM

Hulle weet nie wat ons weet nie !! Awesome win Dricus

chrisf.vz 21 January 2024 10:49 AM

Great achievement.

Derek 21 January 2024 11:22 AM

Congrats Dricus on a huge win secured by your passionate passionate heart. We are proud of you.

a***y@i***.com 21 January 2024 11:29 AM

It wasn’t a bloodbath! Only Strickland was bleeding. We are the onety one-ers!!!

P***t@i***.com 21 January 2024 11:59 AM

Brutal game but great for SA!

Willem Annandale 21 January 2024 12:10 PM

Another SA 1-point victory! Sjoe, my nerves... Dricus is a wonderful ambassador for the country, and a great role model. Vat vyf!

User 21 January 2024 12:34 PM

We are immensely proud of the man. Black and white all celebrated as one just the same as when we won the world rugby Cup.

Julia D 21 January 2024 12:36 PM

What a champ! Thanks for all the hard work and for flying the SA flag so proudly.

Raymond van Niekerk 21 January 2024 12:38 PM

I thought Strickland was going to be hard to beat. He was. Tough tough fight. Congratulations to our boy from Pretoria.

h***p@g***.com 21 January 2024 01:26 PM

Hello South Africa

Malcolm Dunkeld 21 January 2024 02:27 PM

Pretoria rules the waves.

Ritey roo roo 21 January 2024 02:58 PM

Barbaric, just shove them in the Gladiator's ring and let Caesar decide

paulzille 21 January 2024 04:42 PM

He may be the champ but he is only fifth on the Boksburg pub circuit.

Chris Orr 21 January 2024 04:51 PM

Good man! Great victory!

Wayne Cooke 21 January 2024 08:52 PM

???

n***t@i***.co.za 21 January 2024 10:42 PM

Another great Rainbow Nation moment!! Well done to Dricus DuPlessis!! He has made us very proud!!!

Malcolm 22 January 2024 08:21 AM

Paul Zille, "Hulle weet nie wat ons weet nie", says it all. We have four great fights lined up for The Boksburg Town Hall. Dricus has to beat them all before he can truly say he is the world champion. I think he will take them all in one night. The other guys are just posers not real fighters. Hierdie Soutie se Sterkte Dricus!

Zed Buchler 22 January 2024 08:31 AM

Well done Dricus. Just a question to Daily Maverick, can you hold a poll with some questions to find out how many people actually knows anything about MMA? Seems the whole of SA is now MMA fundi's. This does not take away my admiration for Dricus by winning the belt in a very demanding sport.

User 22 January 2024 11:04 AM

Dricus, Congrats. You were phenomenal. And you did it from South Africa. We need more like you!

Johan Buys 22 January 2024 11:39 AM

Great achievement! Interesting that the springboks and him have been supporting each other for a while, think he carried the flag when boks walked on for one of the RWC games.

l***t@y***.com 22 January 2024 11:58 AM

Well done Dricus. Not one of the sports I really follow, I prefer boxing, rugby, athletics and swimming, but, hell, its nice to have another world champion. A friend sent me a clip, which I thought was quite amusing, confirming how tough our boys are in the South. "Dricus's no 1 ranking in the world, gives a him a no 7 ranking in Boksburg" ;-)