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Who is Dricus du Plessis? Meet the former UFC champion who put African MMA on the map
For years, African mixed martial arts struggled to earn the global recognition enjoyed by promotions in North America, Europe and Asia.
Today, that landscape looks very different.
One of the pioneers behind that change was Dricus Du Plessis. The South African became his country's first UFC champion and established himself as one of the world's elite middleweights, but long before he reached the Octagon, he was building his reputation in the Extreme Fighting Championship (EFC).
His rise transformed not only his own career but also the perception of African MMA, proving that world champions could emerge from the continent's leading promotion.
Who is Dricus du Plessis?
Born in Welkom, South Africa, du Plessis first made his name in kickboxing before transitioning to mixed martial arts.
(UFC)
He became the first South African WAKO K-1 world champion as a teenager before dedicating himself to MMA full-time, eventually leaving his Agricultural Economics studies at the University of Pretoria to pursue fighting professionally.
Known by the nickname "Stillknocks", du Plessis quickly developed a reputation for his relentless pressure, finishing ability and willingness to fight anyone placed in front of him.
Those qualities would soon make him one of African MMA's brightest prospects.
How EFC created a future UFC champion
Before there was UFC gold, there was EFC.
After turning professional in 2013, du Plessis joined South Africa's premier MMA promotion, where he faced many of the continent's best fighters.
His first attempt at EFC gold ended in defeat against Garreth McLellan, but rather than derail his career, the loss became the catalyst for one of the promotion's greatest success stories.
Over the following years, du Plessis stormed through the welterweight division before capturing the EFC welterweight championship in 2016.
He wasn't finished there. Just over a year later, he defeated Yannick Bahati to win the EFC middleweight title, becoming the promotion's first-ever simultaneous two-weight world champion.
That achievement remains one of the defining moments in EFC history and demonstrated that African MMA talent could compete at the very highest level.
From EFC to the UFC
Du Plessis' dominance in Africa soon attracted international attention.
After a successful spell in KSW, he signed with the UFC in 2020 and steadily climbed the middleweight rankings with victories over Darren Till, Robert Whittaker, Sean Strickland and Israel Adesanya.
His victory over Strickland made history, as du Plessis became the first South African to win a UFC championship.
Although he is now a former UFC middleweight champion after losing the belt, du Plessis remains one of the division's biggest names and is continuing his pursuit of another title opportunity.
Why Dricus du Plessis changed African MMA
Du Plessis' success gave African MMA something it had never truly possessed before: proof that a fighter could develop on the continent and become a UFC champion.
His journey has shone a spotlight on EFC, with many fans now looking back at the promotion that helped launch his career.
The promotion has also produced a number of fighters who have gone on to compete in major organisations around the world, reinforcing its reputation as Africa's premier MMA proving ground.
For aspiring fighters across Africa, du Plessis' career remains the blueprint.
He showed that the road to the UFC doesn't have to begin in Las Vegas or London.
Sometimes, it starts in Johannesburg.
How to watch the best of African MMA live and for free on DAZN
All EFC events will be broadcast live and FREE worldwide* on DAZN. If you already have a DAZN subscription or free account then Extreme Fighting Championship is already available to you.
If you have yet to sign up for a DAZN FREE account, then all you need to do is enter an email address and away you go.
With the DAZN app, you can watch on almost any device, including smart TVs, smartphones, tablets, streaming devices like Fire Sticks, games consoles like PlayStations, and laptops / PCs / Macs.
To get the DAZN App, just follow these instructions....
- Download the free DAZN App from your normal App store on your TV, phone, tablet, or streaming device
- On a laptop or PC, visit www.DAZN.com/home
- Select 'Get started' or 'log in'
- Enter your email address, or sign up via the Apple, Google or Facebook options
- You then have access to all of DAZN's free content, including the Matchroom boxing channel and FIFA+
- Then find the EFC page to start watching
*excluding Sub-Saharan Africa and Poland
