In an incredible five-round main event, Dricus “Stillknocks” du Plessis (30), once a learner of the Naudeville Primary School in Welkom, became South Africa’s first-ever Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight champion. After a hard-fought battle, Du Plessis emerged victorious with a split-decision win over Sean Strickland at the UFC 297 event held at the Scotiabank Arena in Ontario, Canada, on Sunday morning, 21 January. Du Plessis now has his sights set on a potential title fight with Israel Adesanya at the forthcoming UFC 300 centenary event, which will likely have some of the biggest mixed martial arts (MMA) fights in history. His victory leading to this world-class fight was a TKO win against the former champion, Robert Whittaker, at UFC 290 in July 2023.
