Dricus du Plessis: I won’t be beaten in a dog fight!

On Sunday morning (SA time), all attention will turn to Dricus du Plessis’ highly anticipated title fight against Sean Strickland in the main event of UFC 297, set for the Scotiabank Arena in Canada as the 29-year-old from Pretoria aims to claim the middleweight gold.

Du Plessis (20-2) is unbeaten in the UFC since his series debut in October 2020 and has racked up six successive UFC wins to become the top contender in the division, having earned his shot at the UFC middleweight title by defeating Australian Robert Whittaker in a second-round TKO in July.

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Next up on the ‘hit list’ for Du Plessis is Sean Strickland, who will put his middleweight title on the line for the first time against the South African challenger.

Strickland collected a trio of wins in 2023, but the obvious – and major – highlight was his comprehensive victory over Israel Adesanya in UFC 293, which saw him sweeping the scorecards to secure the win after first dropped the Nigeria-born stalwart in the opening stanza.

As Du Plessis and Strickland now get set to go head to head, there is great anticipation for what should be a fascinating battle in terms of tactics and fighting styles.

Du Plessis likes to be the aggressor as much as Strickland, so there should be a quality battle to see who dictates the terms of engagement from the outset, with the South African also renowned for his unpredictable fighting style that blends power and unpredictability.

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DRICUS DU PLESSIS ‘CALM AND CONFIDENT’

In an exclusive interview, Du Plessis, who is nicknamed “Stillknocks”, said he knew what to expect from an opponent that’s well known for his stamina and resilience.

“Sean obviously has great cardio, and he has had those five rounders in the UFC, and that’s a big weapon for him. But the one problem with all his weapons is that I truly believe all of mine are sharper. For me, the biggest thing is going to be to stay calm, and to not chase that knockout or submission. I don’t want to be overeager, it’s a five round fight and I have a lot of time.”

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CLEAR-MINDED TACTICAL FOCUS

For fans in South Africa, the main card gets underway at 05:00 on 21 January 2024, with Du Plessis’ bout expected to start after 7am. DStv Compact and Access customers in South Africa will be able to tune in to the fight that will also be available on SuperSport Variety 4, channel 209 and all higher DStv subscription packages, while it’s also been confirmed that South Africans can enjoy the fight in three official languages: English, Afrikaans and isiXhosa.

With just days to go until this brutal battle in the Octagon, Du Plessis highlighted his clear-minded approach.

“When I’m calm, relaxed and enjoying it, then I go into a different zone and I look unstoppable. We saw that in my win over Rob Whittaker, but when I try and force things that’s when it can get a bit shaky.

“But my main weapon is right here on my chest, my South African heart and the refusal to give up. I don’t even care what technical aspects he could theoretically be better than me, because when it comes down to the dog fight, there’s not a dog alive that’s going to beat me.”

ALSO READ: Sean Strickland ranks Dricus Du Plessis over Khamzat Chimaev

UFC 297 – 21 January

03:00 to 05:00 – Prelims

05:00 to 09:00 – Main Bouts

Channel

SuperSport Variety 4 (209)

UFC 297 – MAIN CARD

– Main event: Middleweight championship: Sean Strickland v Dricus du Plessis

– Co-main: Women’s bantamweight championship: Raquel Pennington v Mayra Bueno Silva

– Welterweight: Neil Magny v Mike Malott

– Middleweight: Chris Curtis v Marc-Andre Barriault

– Featherweight: Arnold Allen v Movsar Evloev

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