‘Mission accomplished’… Dricus Du Plessis reveals his ultimate goal in MMA ahead of UFC 312 title rematch

Whether it’s his herky-jerky fight style, his success as a consistent underdog, or his hilarious social media antics; Dricus Du Plessis is quickly becoming one of the most popular UFC champions out there.

For ‘Stillknocks’, world championship belts are one thing, but when it comes to leaving a lasting legacy behind for your country and continent, there’s a different – far more poignant – ultimate end goal.

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLCDricus Du Plessis reveals his ultimate MMA goalDricus Du Plessis claimed the UFC middleweight title in a razor-close decision win against Sean Strickland, before following up with a stunning submission win over Israel Adesanya last August.

According to the popular South African brawler, that championship victory over ‘The Last Stylebender’ saw his home gym, Team CIT, double in size – a superb commercial achievement, and one that helps open far more important doors for others.

“We doubled [our size] in two months, and it’s so amazing to see because in terms of business, that’s only one aspect – but to see the next generation, to realize that the next Dricus Du Plessis, the next world champion might be training on these mats as a five-year-old, that’s incredible.”

Whilst ‘Stillknocks’ trains under the watchful eye of head coach Morne Visser, he’s more-often-than-not seen as a trainer himself and is finding motivation from being a role model to the next generation of African MMA stars.

“It’s incredible to think about that in 20 years, that guy could become a world champion, you know, maybe he just saw a fight [on TV] and thought it looked cool… If I inspire one man to follow, one kid to follow his dreams then that’s mission accomplished.”

Du Plessis’ path into the UFC was paved by fellow South African fighter Garreth ‘Soldier Boy’ McLellan, who actually defeated a spry 20-year-old ‘Stillknocks’ via guillotine choke in the EFC back in 2014.

Whilst McLellan didn’t find the same storied success in the UFC as Du Plessis, going 1-4 between 2015 and 2017, he did acknowledge that it won’t be long before more South African athletes make a name for themselves in the big leagues.

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“We’ve got guys that are still some hidden gems, [and] I think we’re starting to uncover some incredible fighters who are going to do massive things on the world stage – that’s exceptionally exciting.

“It’s still a new phase for us, South Africa is a little bit ahead than the rest of the African countries but they’re also starting to find themselves which makes it super exciting [for the continent].”

EFC commentator Simon Stephens has witnessed this rise of African MMA firsthand and was keen to drive home the point that Du Plessis’ legacy isn’t down to his UFC world title success, but down to those who follow in his footsteps.

“The legacy – after Dricus retires as one of the greats of African MMA, if not across the world – should be that talent scouts, managers, and the people who make business decisions in terms of financing the sport, will start looking [more] at the talent in Africa.

“It’s not just the minerals in this continent that are golden, it’s some of our fighters [who are] the best in the world and that’s what his legacy should be.”

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Dricus Du Plessis defends his middleweight title in the main event of UFC 312If Dricus Du Plessis is to continue inspiring the next generation of African-born MMA stars as the active and undisputed UFC middleweight champion, he’ll need to defeat nemesis Strickland for a second time.

That highly anticipated title fight is scheduled for the main event of UFC 312 in Australia, with Zhang Weili set to defend her strawweight belt against #1 ranked contender Tatiana Suarez in the co-main event.

Whilst unconfirmed, former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman is also rumored to feature against surging Australian talent and #4 ranked contender, Jack Della Maddalena.

Featherweight champion Ilia Topuria’s older brother, Aleksandre Topuria, is also reportedly set to make his promotional debut at UFC 312.

Dricus Du Plessis vs Sean StricklandZhang Weili vs Tatiana SuarezKamaru Usman vs Jack Della Maddalena – RumoredTom Nolan vs Viacheslav BorshchevJack Jenkins vs Gabriel SantosJustin Tafa vs Tallison TeixeiraQuillan Salkilld vs Anshul JubliRei Tsuruya vs Stewart NicollCody Haddon vs Aleksandre TopuriaCong Wang vs Bruna BrasilJimmy Crute vs Rodolfo Bellato – Not yet official, original opponent withdrewUFC 312: Du Plessis vs Strickland takes place on Saturday, February 8, live from the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia.

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