Dricus Du Plessis entered the match with Robert Whittaker as a big outsider. The South African, nicknamed “Stillknocks” in the UFC, has yet to find a conqueror, but at times he was very close. And the former middleweight champion seemed to be on a completely different level than the rest of the division, having lost there after all to none other than Israel Adesanya.
Du Plessis was criticized by some for taking such a risky match when he could have calmly waited for the title fight with Adesanya, who himself said about him and started trash talk. But the South African had faith in Whittaker and went up against him perfectly prepared. He won the first round on points, and in the second came what few expected – when he sent Robert to his knees with a front direct right hand, he turned into a predator who attacks the injured prey until it hurts. The Australian could not resist his blows for a long time and fell by TKO.
“Wow, that was one heck of a beating. Huge congrats to South African MMA and South Africa, period! That was an amazing win for them in the UFC Octagon. Next time for the title fight. Go South Africa!” congratulated Conor McGregor on Twitter.
“Well, that was depressing… Looks like we’ll have to wait,” wrote Sean Strickland, who was hoping for a title shot after his latest win.
“We have a new middleweight challenger. That was crazy.” Steven Wonderboy Thompson
“Damn, I didn’t expect Dricus to be such a strong human being. Terrance McKinney
“This guy has earned respect, give him a headline!” Alan Jouban
“Well, that’s what happened. Dricus doesn’t do it pretty, but that’s part of his strength. He’s also durable, strong, and unyielding. It was good enough to beat Robert Whittaker, and I think it’s good enough to get another title chance.” Kenny Florian
