Dricus du Plessis has witnessed a meteoric rise in professional mixed martial arts. The South Africa-born middleweight professional mixed martial artist competed in multiple fight promotions after making his debut in 2013. Owing to an impressive record, Du Plessis made his promotional debut in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on October 11, 2020, against Markus Perez and made his outing count by beating Perez via first-round knockout.
Dricus du Plessis didn’t take much to reach the top spot in the premiere professional mixed martial arts promotion. After winning five fights, he got an opportunity at the middleweight title by fighting against Robert Whittaker in a title eliminator bout at UFC 290 and beating him paving the way for his title contention. Du Plessis took on Sean Strickland at UFC 297 for the championship and won a closely contested fight by split decision to become the new champion of the UFC middleweight division. He later defended the title against Israel Adesanya via submission at UFC 305.
Dricus du Plessis’ Losses
Dricus du Plessis has only been defeated two times since his debut in mixed martial arts as of February 3, 2024.
Garreth McLellan vs. Dricus du Plessis
Dricus du Plessis lost his first professional mixed martial arts fight against Garreth McLellan when the duo faced off at EFC 33 on August 30, 2014, for the EFC middleweight title. McLellan defeated Du Plessis by clutching him in a guillotine choke in the third round leading him to submit.
Dricus du Plessis vs. Roberto Soldic
Dricus du Plessis suffered his second professional loss in mixed martial arts against Roberto Soldic at KSW 45 on October 6, 2018. Du Plessis was defending his KSW welterweight title in the showdown but failed as Soldic knocked him out in the third round after delivering a flurry of punches on him.
Also Read: Dricus Du Plessis' Parents
FAQs on Dricus du Plessis
A. He has a professional MMA record of 22 wins and two losses as of February 3, 2025.
A. He has been defeated by Garreth McLellan and Roberto Soldic as of February 3, 2025.
A. Yes, he is the UFC middleweight champion.
A. He made his professional MMA debut in 2013.
A. He made his promotional debut in the UFC in 2020.
