Dricus du Plessis’ family is a giant a part of his rapid ascent up the UFC’s pound-for-pound rankings.
UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis‘s success within the Octagon wasn’t expected by many fans and pundits after his earlier performances within the promotion. This includes his parents, who motivated him to make significant changes despite a win over certainly one of the division’s mainstays.
Du Plessis will face Sean Strickland in a highly-anticipated middleweight title rematch this weekend at UFC 312. It’s the middleweight champion’s second title defense after ending Israel Adesanya at UFC 305 last August.
Earlier in his UFC profession, many criticized and mocked du Plessis for his unorthodox style and his tendencies to look drained quickly in fights. This put him in wild slugfests earlier in his profession against a few of the middleweight division’s top contenders.
Facing longtime contender Derek Brunson at UFC 285, du Plessis was out to make a press release and secure a No. 1 contender fight. It was a wild war from start to complete as du Plessis eventually finished Brunson, however the path to getting the win was rocky and difficult.
After a tough night within the cage at UFC 285, du Plessis’ parents questioned whether or not he was serious about pursuing greatness.
Dricus du Plessis’ parents were painfully critical after Derek Brunson fight at UFC 285
In a recent interview with Mark Bouris, du Plessis shared how a post-fight conversation together with his parents led to him changing his path to becoming a UFC world champion.
“I fought Derek Brunson, and it was a troublesome fight. Great camp, felt amazing, but that first round was so intense,” du Plessis said. “I got home…and I just became number five on the planet, the primary South African ever to even get near a rating…my parents are so completely satisfied to see me, and so they go ‘Geez! So you continue to need to be a world champion?’ and I said yes, my whole life is devoted to this. And so they said ‘Not in the event you fight like that! That was terrible!’…
“I couldn’t even fathom what was happening. Excuse me? I just became number five on the planet. They said ‘That’s amazing, but is that each one you must achieve?” du Plessis continued. “That’s the very best achievement you’ll get if that’s the best way you must do it’. I used to be stuttering, I couldn’t consider it. They weren’t saying I wasn’t working hard or doing enough, but there was a change needed, and I needed to seek out it. Something for the following one because [with that performance], you won’t make it. I’m sorry.”
In his next fight, and after making several changes to his camp and lifestyle, du Plessis pulled off a large upset over Robert Whittaker at UFC 290. The victory secured him a title shot against Strickland, and he went on to defeat Strickland by split decision.
Dricus du Plessis underwent career-changing surgery after defeating Derek Brunson
After defeating Brunson, du Plessis underwent surgery to repair his deviated septum, which impacted his ability to breathe properly and have a greater cardiovascular flow contained in the cage.
A win over Strickland this weekend would likely set du Plessis up for a title fight with the undefeated Khamzat Chimaev. He recently admitted that he was ‘hoping and praying’ for the UFC to book him against Chimaev as a substitute of Strickland for the UFC 312 most important event.
Du Plessis’s path to the middleweight throne was dominant by way of wins and losses but featured some tough challenges he had to beat out and in of the Octagon.
