PICK OF THE SPORT: South Africa could get its very first UFC champion and you won’t want to miss the action, recommends Dylan Bettencourt.
Dricus du Plessis is on the brink of making history and Sunday morning will be his moment to make it happen. Du Plessis is looking to become the first South African to lift UFC gold.
He is fighting Sean Strickland for the middleweight belt in the Ultimate Fighting Championship on Sunday morning.
The 30-year-old has only had six previous fights in the UFC, winning all of them and leading him to the verge of winning gold.
However, Du Plessis has a tough task ahead of him. Strickland, the current champion, is no easy man to defeat.
Strickland may look the better striker but as Du Plessis says so often after his victories: “Hulle weet nie wat ons weet nie,” which translates to: “They don’t know what we know”. The fighter is once again, as South Africans often are, an underdog.
Du Plessis has a real chance to claim victory with his wrestling game which looks superior to that of his opponent.
And with the power at his disposal, one punch is all he needs to become a middleweight champion.
The fight will be live on DStv channel 201 from 5am, so set those alarm clocks!
➤ The Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) continues into its second weekend as Algeria kicks the action off against Burkina Faso at 4pm on Saturday. Mauritania then takes on Angola at 7pm before Tunisia faces Mali at 10pm.
Sunday will begin with Morocco facing Congo at 4 pm before Zambia takes on Tanzania at 7pm.
Bafana Bafana then have a do-or-die game against Namibia at 10pm. Following their opening game defeat against Mali, Bafana need to win if they are to stand any chance of progressing to the Afcon knockout stages.
All the fixtures will be live on DStv channel 202.
➤ Expect a great weekend of rugby for South African teams.
The match to watch is the Stormers in Paris against Stade Francais in near-freezing conditions. The Stormers are riding high at the moment and had a convincing win against Sale Sharks last week, although they got tatty towards the end as just about all the players were showboating their way to victory. Hopefully, John Dobson will have convinced his team to take the game seriously. They can’t lose this one . . . or can they?
The Bulls, playing at home, are tipped to beat Bordeaux Begles, but it is going to be a tough match. Bordeaux have won their last three matches by an amazing 100 points but the Bulls are playing great rugby, and are fielding a top team.
The Cheetahs would not have pleased coach Hawies Fourie with their loss to Pau. Oyonnax have not had a win this year and the Cheetahs should make amends this weekend.
The Lions and the Ospreys are on the same tournament points, but the Lions are at home. Ellis Park, unfortunately, will be empty again so there will be very little home ground advantage.
Hopefully, the Sharks have clicked into gear – if only first gear – and will hopefully beat the Dragons. The weather in Wales is going to be very cold, possibly wet, with a howling wind. You wouldn’t send your Siberian husky out in weather like that.
Bulls vs Bordeaux Beagles on Saturday at 3pm
Oyonnax vs Cheetahs on Saturday at 5.15pm
Stormers vs Stade Francais on Saturday at 7.30pm
Lions vs Ospreys on Sunday at 3pm
Dragons vs Sharks on Sunday at 7.30pm
All the rugby matches can be watched live on DStv channel 211. Many of the other matches will also be screened on DStv.
➤ The Premier League is back and, like last weekend, there are only four fixtures.
Arsenal kick things off with a London derby against Crystal Palace at 2.30pm before Brentford take on Nottingham Forest at 7.30pm.
Sunday kicks off with Sheffield United hosting West Ham United at 4pm before Liverpool take on Bournemouth at 6.30pm.
All the fixtures will be live on DStv channel 203.
Pictured above: Dricus du Plessis.
Image source: X
