What is Dricus du Plessis UFC record? champion in the form of Dricus du Plessis after the conclusion of UFC 297. It all started with du Plessis and American mixed martial artist Sean Strickland getting engaged in a heated exchange of words on 16 December 2023. At the UFC 296 event, the pair was in attendance at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada. A verbal altercation resulted in Strickland attacking du Plessis in the stands. The brawl, however, was promptly broken off and the American was escorted out of the event. On 20 January, the UFC 297 featured these two fighters in a middleweight bout. The hostility between the pair was at its boiling point at the time of the fight. At the end of five rounds, it was du Plessis who prevailed over Strickland. By defeating the American and claiming the middleweight belt, Dricus du Plessis scripted the record of being the first UFC champion from South Africa. The fight also earned him the UFC Fight of the Night bonus award. Born in Welkom, South Africa, Dricus du Plessis began training in judo at the age of five. He followed it up with his wrestling training at the age of 12, and kickboxing when he was 14. At 17, du Plessis won the gold medal at the World Association of Kickboxing Organizations (WAKO) World Championship in K-1 style kickboxing in 2012. In the process, he became the first South African medalist in the tournament’s history. However, upon realising that there is not much scope for substantial financial benefits in kickboxing, du Plessis shifted to mixed martial arts. He had three amateur bouts before making his professional mixed martial arts debut in 2013. Du Plessis boasted a 4-0 record before taking on the then-EFC middleweight champion Gareth McLellan at the Extreme Fighting Championship (EFC) Africa 33. Unfortunately, he lost the bout in the third round via guillotine choke submission. Du Plessis made his welterweight debut in June 2015 at the EFC Africa 40 against Dino Bagattin, which he won via a rear-naked choke submission. He went to the EFC 50 event with a 3-0 record where he eyed the vacant EFC Welterweight Championship. The South African had no problem getting the better of veteran fighter Martin Van Staden and claiming the title. In 2017, du Plessis marked his return to the EFC. This time, he defeated Brazilian fighter Mauricio Da Rocha Jr in a welterweight fight. He then faced Yannick Bahati at EFC Africa 62 for the middleweight championship. The South African won the title in the first round by a guillotine choke, thereby becoming a two-division champion within the promotion. Du Plessis’ time in KSW and entry into UFC On 14 April 2018, Dricus du Plessis faced Croatian Roberto Soldic for the Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki (KSW) Welterweight Championship, where he defeated Soldic via technical knockout to claim the title. He fought again for KSW at the KSW 50 event, this time winning against Joilton Santos via technical knockout. Du Plessis made his debut in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) against Markus Perez from Brazil at the UFC Fight Night 179 on 11 October 2020. He won the fight via knockout in the first round. The South African’s first Performance of the Night award came on 10 July 2021 at UFC 264, where he won the bout against Trevin Giles via knockout in the second round. Dricus du Plessis’ rise to fame in the UFC In 2022, Dricus du Plessis won two important matches. He first defeated American Brad Tavares at UFC 276 on 2 July (du Plessis was declared the winner via unanimous decision). Later that year, he took on Darren Till from England at UFC 282 on 10 December. By winning the fight via submission in the third round, the South African earned his first Fight of the Night award. Du Plessis started 2023 on a strong note by defeating American mixed martial artist Derek Brunson at the UFC 285 on 4 March. The former won the match via technical knockout because of a corner stoppage at 4:59 of the second round. On 8 July 2023, the athlete was involved in the most significant brawl of his career till then, against the former UFC Middleweight champion Robert Whittaker in a title eliminator fight. By winning the UFC 290 fight via technical knockout in the second round, the South African earned the Performance of the Night award and the number one contender spot in the middleweight division. Following his defeat of Whittaker, many thought that du Plessis would be facing Israel Adesanya from New Zealand for the UFC Middleweight championship at UFC 293. However, a leg injury forced the South African mixed martial artist out of the fight. Du Plessis was replaced by American mixed martial artist Sean Strickland. On 20 January 2024, Dricus du Plessis created a record for his win against Strickland at the UFC 297. He became the first UFC champion from South Africa. In April 2024, the South African mixed martial artist underwent surgery to fix a breathing impairment in his nose. According to an Instagram post by his coach Morne Visser, du Plessis, till that point, was competing in the UFC events with only eight per cent oxygen intake through his nostrils. Summing up Dricus du Plessis’ career records Dricus du Plessis enjoys an excellent record of 21 wins and only two losses in his professional mixed martial arts career. He has won nine matches via knockout, 10 by virtue of submission and two by decision. In terms of his achievements, the South African is tied in first place with Paulo Costa for the most significant strikes landed per minute in the UFC Middleweight division’s history (6:49). Dricus du Plessis ranks sixth in the list of the longest win streak in the UFC Middleweight division’s history with seven consecutive wins to his name.