DRICUS DU PLESSIS

Representing South Africa, orthodox middleweight Dricus du Plessis trains out of Team CIT MMA. He built his combat style on a foundation of judo, wrestling, and kickboxing, yielding nine knockouts and eleven submissions. "Stillknocks" captured the UFC middleweight crown on January 20, 2024, adding to a resume featuring prominent victories over Robert Whittaker and Israel Adesanya.

Heading into UFC 330 with a 24-3-0 record, du Plessis has won four of his last five matchups. After title-fight wins against Sean Strickland and Adesanya, he defeated Strickland a second time before suffering a decision defeat against Khamzat Chimaev. He rebounded in July 2026 by securing a unanimous decision over Kamaru Usman.