Dricus Du Plessis is ready for the next chapter in his career and that includes winning UFC belts in two different weight classes.
Du Plessis won the middleweight belt from Sean Strickland in January 2024 and defended it twice before dropping it to Khamzat Chimaev. a one-sided wrestling match. We’re just over a year removed from that bad loss and the “Stillknocks” are back with a certain victory over Kamaru Usman.
In a new interview with Sias du Plessis (no relation), Dricus discussed getting back to winning ways.
“I think especially after a loss like that, you work so hard to fix the mistakes you made,” he said. “And to go back and prove that the things you worked on worked, the hard work you put in paid off. It’s unbelievable. Like I always say, you’re only as good as your last fight and being a loser is not in my cards. I don’t like that.”
Du Plessis has big ambitions as he works to get back to the top spot at 185lbs.
“I’m getting my belt back,” he announced. “I mean, it’s for me. That’s the biggest thing. I want to get my belt back and eventually go up to 205 and try there. And I’m sure I’m going to be a champion. I’m big enough for this division and I’m sure I can be a champion in this division.”
Du Plessis has always been a big middleweight, and a move to light heavyweight would take some of the pressure off him ahead of the fight.
“In pounds, it’s 45 pounds that I cut,” she revealed. “Sometimes even more from where I walk outside the camp to fight. It’s ridiculous. It’s crazy. But my team is great. We’ve been doing this for many years. We got it down to a science.
“I’m not going to sit here and say, ‘No, it’s good for you.’ It’s not. But I mean, getting punched in the head isn’t good either. So, I made my choices and I wouldn’t change it for the world.”
Du Plessis says he had some minor injuries in the Kamaru Usman fight in July but is now ready to go. He certainly is at least one sure win away to be back in the top contenders circle, which isn’t the worst situation considering the 185 log at the top. Who exactly does Dricus want to fight?
“I want to fight the best man possible because I want to prove that I’m the greatest fighter of all time,” declared Du Plessis. “And you can’t just beat a couple of champions to do that. You have to fight your way to that title. Take the tough fights that nobody wants, and I’ve been willing to do that.”
