Dricus du Plessis: Stillknocks — Fighter Profile, Career & Legacy
- Daniel Cornmeat
- May 10
- 7 min read
Introduction
Dricus du Plessis is the first South African in UFC history to hold a championship belt. A jiu-jitsu specialist with 11 submission wins and 9 knockouts in 23 professional victories, du Plessis built one of the most unconventional title runs in modern middleweight history — a herky-jerky, rhythmically bizarre fighting style that opponents repeatedly described as impossible to read, leading him through Darren Till, Derek Brunson, Robert Whittaker, Sean Strickland, Israel Adesanya, and Sean Strickland again before finally losing the belt to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319 in Chicago.
This profile covers everything: the Welkom, South Africa beginnings, the WAKO K-1 amateur world title, the EFC and KSW championship runs, the controversial UFC 297 split-decision title win over Strickland, the seismic UFC 305 submission of Adesanya in Perth, the comprehensive UFC 312 rematch win over Strickland, and the UFC 319 loss that ended a nineteen-month reign as the first African UFC middleweight champion.
Contents
Quick Stats
Full Name: Dricus du Plessis
Nickname: Stillknocks
Born: January 14, 1994 (Welkom, Free State, South Africa)
Height: 6'1" (185 cm)
Reach: 76" (193 cm)
Weight Class: Middleweight (185 lb / 84 kg)
Stance: Switch-stance, orthodox-leaning
Team: CIT (Combat Innovation Training) Pretoria, South Africa, under coach Morne Visser
Pro Record: 23-3-0 (9 KO, 11 SUB, 3 DEC)
UFC Debut: October 10, 2020 — UFC Fight Night, def. Markus Perez by KO, R1
Rank as of 2026: #1 UFC Middleweight (#12 PFP)
Belts: Former UFC Middleweight Champion (2024-25, 2 successful defences); EFC Welterweight Champion; EFC Middleweight Champion; KSW Welterweight Champion; WAKO K-1 Junior World Champion (amateur)
Background
Dricus du Plessis was born January 14, 1994 in Welkom, in the Free State province of South Africa. His combat-sports career started at age 5 in judo, transitioned to wrestling at 12, then to K-1 kickboxing at 15. By 18 he was the first South African ever to win a WAKO Junior World Championship in K-1. The professional MMA pivot came at age 19 in 2013, fighting on the regional South African scene at Extreme Fighting Championship (EFC).
Du Plessis became EFC Welterweight Champion before being signed away by Polish promotion KSW, where he then became KSW Welterweight Champion. By his early twenties he was the most decorated South African MMA fighter ever — but the international audience had not heard of him. The single-loss blemish on his pre-UFC record came in 2014 against UFC veteran Garreth McLellan.
The UFC came calling in 2020. After a two-year regional run that lifted his record to 16-2, the UFC signed him on the strength of his finish rate. His Octagon debut against Markus Perez at UFC Fight Night on October 10, 2020 was a 3:22 first-round knockout. The South African flag flew over the cage; the next four years would be the steady rise of the unlikeliest middleweight champion in UFC history.
Fighting Style
Du Plessis's style is the single most discussed in modern UFC middleweight discourse — a deliberately rhythmless, herky-jerky, broken-tempo approach where every strike is set up by an unrelated movement that almost looks like a glitch. Stylistically he is a hybrid: a credentialed K-1 kickboxer with elite submission instincts. The combination — broken-rhythm striking that flows into a clinch that flows into a submission — has produced finishes against Darren Till (face crank), Derek Brunson (TKO), Robert Whittaker (TKO), and Israel Adesanya (RNC).
Statistically the profile is striking: a takedown defence rate of just 35% (low) and a strike-defence rate of 53% (modest), but a knockdowns-per-15-minutes rate of 0.40 (high) and a submissions-per-15-minutes rate of 0.71 (the highest active rate in the UFC middleweight division). Du Plessis is a fighter who absorbs damage in transition but who finds finishing opportunities at every position transition. The Adesanya submission at UFC 305 — a rear-naked choke from a scramble at 3:38 of the fourth round — was the signature performance of the style.
The vulnerability is wrestling exchanges against opponents who can take him down without giving back. Khamzat Chimaev exploited it at UFC 319, securing eight takedowns over five rounds and winning a comprehensive unanimous decision. Du Plessis's response in post-fight interviews — 'I have to learn the wrestling game now' — accurately diagnoses the gap. At 32 years old, he has time to fix it.
Career Highlights
UFC 297 — Du Plessis def. Sean Strickland, SD (January 20, 2024)
The title-winning fight, in Toronto. Du Plessis took the fight to Strickland for five rounds, eating heavy boxing exchanges in rounds three and four but landing the heavier shots in rounds two and five. Won by split decision (48-47, 47-48, 48-47). Half of media outlets scored it for Strickland. Du Plessis became the first African-born UFC middleweight champion.
UFC 305 — Du Plessis def. Israel Adesanya, Sub R4 (August 17, 2024)
First title defence, in Perth, Australia. Adesanya was the heavy favourite and dominated the first three rounds with crisp counter-striking. In the fourth, du Plessis caught a tired Adesanya in transition, took the back, and locked on a rear-naked choke. Adesanya tapped at 3:38 of the fourth — his first career submission loss.
UFC 312 — Du Plessis def. Sean Strickland 2, UD (February 8, 2025)
Second title defence and the rematch of the controversial UFC 297 result. This time du Plessis won clearly — 49-46 across all three judges — using a heavier wrestling-clinch game to neutralise Strickland's boxing range.
UFC 319 — Chimaev def. Du Plessis, UD (August 16, 2025)
The title-losing fight, in Chicago. Khamzat Chimaev secured eight takedowns over five rounds, denied du Plessis the scrambles and submissions that had defined his championship run, and won a unanimous decision (50-44, 50-44, 50-44). Du Plessis's first UFC loss.
UFC 290 — Du Plessis def. Robert Whittaker, TKO R2 (July 8, 2023)
The title-shot-securing fight. Whittaker, the former UFC Middleweight Champion, was a clear favourite. Du Plessis took him down in the second round and finished with ground strikes at 2:23 of the second.
Notable Rivalries
Du Plessis vs. Sean Strickland
Two fights, both Du Plessis wins, but a rivalry defined more by what happened outside the cage than inside it. The pre-UFC 297 stands brawl at UFC 296 — where Strickland leapt two rows to attack Du Plessis after the South African stood up in the crowd — gave the rivalry its cultural moment.
Du Plessis vs. Khamzat Chimaev
The current rivalry. Chimaev took the belt at UFC 319 in dominant fashion. Du Plessis has made it clear he expects an immediate rematch in 2026.
Championships and Title Reigns
UFC Middleweight Champion: January 20, 2024 — August 16, 2025 (2 defences: Adesanya at UFC 305, Strickland at UFC 312)
KSW Welterweight Champion: 2018-2020
EFC Welterweight Champion: 2016-2017
EFC Middleweight Champion: 2018-2019
WAKO K-1 Junior World Champion: 2012 (amateur)
Performance Bonuses: Three Performance of the Night
Fun Facts
• His brother gave him the nickname 'Stillknocks' after his amateur K-1 career (33-0 record with 30 KOs).
• He was studying agricultural economics at the University of Pretoria when he dropped out in his final year to focus on his EFC title shot.
• First South African to win a UFC championship in any weight class.
• Trains exclusively in South Africa at CIT (Combat Innovation Training) in Pretoria — the only modern UFC champion who has built and held a championship while training in his country of origin.
• Holds 11 submission wins from 23 victories — more than any active UFC middleweight.
• Speaks fluent Afrikaans, English, and conversational Xhosa.
Legacy and Verdict
Du Plessis is the most consequential African UFC champion since Israel Adesanya. Two title defences ranks him in the modern middleweight era's mid-tier — behind Adesanya and Anderson Silva, comparable to Bisping and Robert Whittaker. The defining performances — the Strickland 1 split, the Adesanya submission, the Strickland rematch — were each the kind of statement-fight that championship reigns are built on.
Beyond the cage, Du Plessis has become the most internationally visible South African athlete since Francois Pienaar lifted the Rugby World Cup in 1995. The Adesanya feud — Adesanya, born Nigerian and raised in New Zealand, contested du Plessis's claim to be 'Africa's first UFC champion' — gave the rivalry an interesting edge.
The technical legacy is more complicated. Du Plessis is, statistically, the lowest-takedown-defence champion in division history. The style works because of submission threat — but it has clear failure modes against elite wrestlers. The Chimaev fight exposed the gap. The 2026 rematch — when, not if — will be the moment the legacy is finally written.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did Dricus du Plessis win the UFC Middleweight Championship?
Du Plessis won the UFC Middleweight Championship on January 20, 2024 at UFC 297 in Toronto, defeating Sean Strickland by split decision.
How many UFC title defences did Dricus du Plessis have?
Two: a fourth-round rear-naked choke submission of Israel Adesanya at UFC 305, and a unanimous decision over Sean Strickland at UFC 312.
What is Dricus du Plessis's professional MMA record?
As of May 2026, du Plessis's record is 23-3-0 with 9 KO, 11 SUB, 3 DEC. UFC record 10-1.
Why is Dricus du Plessis nicknamed 'Stillknocks'?
From his 33-0 amateur K-1 career with 30 KOs; pun on his surname Du Plessis.
Where does Dricus du Plessis train?
CIT (Combat Innovation Training) in Pretoria, South Africa, under coach Morne Visser.
Was Dricus du Plessis the first South African UFC champion?
Yes — first South African in UFC history to hold any championship belt, on January 20, 2024 at UFC 297.
When will Dricus du Plessis fight Khamzat Chimaev again?
Not yet booked. Chimaev faces Sean Strickland at UFC 328 first.
References
Comments