Whereas it briefly seemed as if he may get handed up, surging middleweight contender Dricus Du Plessis has his first shot at championship glory on blended martial arts’ largest stage pencilled in.
Du Plessis, who presently occupies the #2 spot at 185 kilos, will head to Canada days into 2024 forward of a title tilt with Sean Strickland at the Toronto-held UFC 297 event.
“Stillknocks” secured the chance with an upset knockout win over former champion Robert Whittaker at UFC 290 this past July. The consequence prolonged Du Plessis’ excellent promotional report to 6-0, a slate that additionally contains finishes of Darren Until and Derek Brunson.
Regardless of his sturdy type since breaking by into the rankings, many proceed to level to Du Plessis’ cardio as a possible weak spot. That sentiment has risen as soon as once more, because the South African gears up for his first five-round struggle underneath the UFC banner.
However like he has ever since asserting his arrival within the sport’s premier promotion, Du Plessis expects to shock a couple of when he takes to the cage on January 20.
Du Plessis Expects To ‘Shock’ With His Cardio At UFC 297
Throughout a latest interview with James Lynch for MyMMANews, Du Plessis seemed forward to his first shot at title glory within the UFC, which some recommended was doubtful after an injury left him choosing against challenging Israel Adesanya in Sydney this past September.
Within the South African’s place, Strickland delivered an unbelievable five-round displaying to dominantly dethrone “The Final Stylebender.” The brand new champ’s sturdy cardio and historical past of combating for 25 minutes has been pointed to by some as a large benefit within the lead-up to UFC 297.
However having been scheduled for quite a few five-round affairs underneath banners akin to KSW and continued to arrange as such ever since, Du Plessis has dismissed any suggestion that he will not be as much as the duty.
“I truthfully suppose the primary spherical will play a giant function in how this struggle ends,” Du Plessis stated. “I do know it is a five-round struggle, it is totally different. Sean has had loads of time in five-round fights, however folks neglect that for 5, six years, I used to be a champion in each promotion I fought. I solely fought five-rounders for 5, six years of my profession. That is the one factor we ready for.
“Ever since then, I’ve by no means stopped making ready for 5 rounds. I did not begin making ready for 3 rounds,” Du Plessis continued. “I do know 5 rounds, it takes longer. However in opposition to Whittaker, it was such a high-paced struggle. In that second spherical, I wasn’t even at 50 p.c when it comes to my cardio. I felt wonderful… All people might see it. We needed to make some changes, introduced some new folks when it comes to energy and conditioning, and made it extra scientific…. That is one factor that I believe is gonna shock lots of people (at UFC 297).”
Having already dealt a serious blow to his detractors by turning into the one man apart from Adesanya to defeat Whittaker at middleweight, Du Plessis will hope to prove himself right once more when he shares the cage with Strickland.
IT'S GOING DOWN IN THE NORTH.🦉
🏆@SStricklandMMA vs @DricusDuPlessis is your #UFC297 principal occasion!
[ Register your interest at https://t.co/newcSNDZrs ] pic.twitter.com/hhggwKR8TZ
— UFC Canada (@UFC_CA) November 9, 2023
