By Dylan Bettencourt
Sports Editor
Dricus du Plessis went into his title fight against Sean Strickland on Sunday morning as the underdog and for good reason.
The odds were stacked against Du Plessis.
He had only fought in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) six times before this and in none of his previous professional fights had he gone past the third round.
Many pundits and experts felt the South African had a chance if the fight did not last long.
This is where Du Plessis showed he had the heart of a lion because he went into the lion’s den and showed no signs of backing down.
There was a moment where Du Plessis showed that no matter the outcome, he was proud of what he achieved.
Going into the fourth and fifth rounds, where many expected the champion Strickland to dominate, Du Plessis came out hyping up the crowd and beating his chest.
It is said in the UFC that if you want to win the belt from a champion, you have to be the aggressor and that’s exactly what Du Plessis was.
The 30-year-old stood in the middle of the octagon cage and put the pressure on Strickland for five rounds without backing down once.
Du Plessis showed the variety of skills he has, showing his boxing ability, kicking ability and wrestling strength.
Strickland however only had supremacy with his boxing skills.
Du Plessis won the belt by a close decision but the win means so much more than just being the new middleweight champion.
By making history, Du Plessis will have without a doubt inspired thousands of young South Africans to follow in his footsteps.
Du Plessis may be the first South African champion but his hard work has the chance to create many more champions from the country.
There will be so many younger boys and girls asking their parents to take them to Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) gyms and there will be many more of those coming forward in future.
Du Plessis has inspired a generation of youngsters who want to represent their nation on the world stage.
There is however controversy surrounding the new champion as the fall from the top is always a long way down.
A video from 2020 resurfaced of Du Plessis suggesting that farm murders were genocide in South Africa and were happening every day.
Many Twitter users changed their opinion of Du Plessis and wished him an unsuccessful future.
Pictured above: Dricus du Plessis.
Image source: X
