Dricus Du Plessis

Du Plessis returned to the win column with a one-sided five-round decision over Kamaru Usman in Oklahoma City, his first fight since losing the middleweight title to Khamzat Chimaev. He found his range in the opening minutes and wobbled Usman more than once with clubbing right hands and knees up the middle, hurting him again in the fourth on the way to 50-45, 49-46 and 49-46 cards.

Key moments

• Wobbled Usman with a right hand to the temple in the first round.
• Repeatedly hurt Usman with knees up the middle across the opening two rounds.
• Hurt Usman again in the fourth and controlled the fifth to close out the decision.

Du Plessis went the full 25 minutes with Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319 but lost a unanimous decision that ended his middleweight title run. It was a useful reminder of his durability at championship pace, even on a night when he could not flip enough rounds back his way.

Key moments

• Lost a unanimous decision after five rounds.
• The defeat ended his reign at the top of the UFC middleweight division.
• He still forced the fight through the full 25 minutes against another elite title-level opponent.

The rematch with Sean Strickland gave Du Plessis a cleaner win than their first meeting, as he defended his belt by unanimous decision over five rounds at UFC 312. Beating the same rival twice mattered because it removed much of the doubt left by the split decision in their first title fight.

Key moments

• Defended the middleweight title over five rounds.
• Beat Strickland for the second straight time in UFC championship fights.
• Won a unanimous decision instead of leaving the result to split scorecards again.

Du Plessis finished Israel Adesanya with a fourth-round face crank in Perth and turned a superfight into another successful title defense. Submitting a former long-reigning champion was one of the clearest statements of his championship run.

Key moments

• Finished Adesanya by submission at 3:38 of round four.
• Retained the UFC middleweight title in the main event of UFC 305.
• Added a former champion to the recent run that had already carried him to the belt.

Du Plessis took a split decision from Sean Strickland at UFC 297 and left Toronto as UFC middleweight champion. It was the fight that turned him from top contender into titleholder, even if the scorecards guaranteed an immediate argument afterward.

Key moments

• Won a split decision after five rounds.
• Captured the UFC middleweight title.
• Started the two-fight championship series with Strickland before the clearer rematch win in 2025.

The Robert Whittaker fight was Du Plessis' breakthrough at the very top of the division, because he stopped a former champion in the second round at UFC 290. That result made him impossible to ignore as the next middleweight title challenger.

Key moments

• Stopped Whittaker by second-round TKO.
• Beat a former UFC middleweight champion in a title-eliminator level matchup.
• Used the win to force his way into the next title conversation.

Du Plessis broke Brunson down over two hard rounds before Brunson's corner stopped the fight at the very end of round two. The result mattered because it kept Du Plessis moving toward the top of the UFC middleweight queue.

Key moments

• Won by corner stoppage after round two.
• The official end came at 4:59 of the second round.
• Beat an established UFC contender to stay in the title mix.

Du Plessis had to work deep here, but he still found the finish, submitting Darren Till with a face crank in round three. It was a useful UFC win because it showed he could keep forcing chaos long enough for a late finish to appear.

Key moments

• Won by third-round submission.
• The face-crank finish came at 2:43 of round three.
• Added another ranked-name UFC win before the Brunson fight.

Against the durable Brad Tavares, Du Plessis went the full fifteen minutes and earned a unanimous decision. The fight mattered because it proved he could win a disciplined UFC bout without needing the finish.

Key moments

• Won a unanimous decision after three rounds.
• Handled a proven middleweight over the full distance.
• Showed another path to victory besides the stoppage.

Du Plessis rebounded from early trouble and knocked Giles out in round two, creating one of the more memorable momentum swings of his UFC run. The finish captured exactly why his pressure style is so uncomfortable to survive for long stretches.

Key moments

• Won by second-round knockout.
• The finish came at 1:41 of round two.
• Turned a wild UFC fight into another stoppage win.

Du Plessis made an immediate impression in his UFC debut by knocking out Markus Perez in the first round. The result announced that his EFC and KSW finishing game could carry straight into the Octagon.

Key moments

• Won his UFC debut by first-round knockout.
• The finish came at 3:22 of round one.
• Started his Octagon run with a clean stoppage.

Back on the EFC circuit, Du Plessis put Lesar away with a guillotine choke late in the opening round. It reinforced how broad his finishing mix already was before the UFC signing.

Key moments

• Won by first-round submission.
• The guillotine choke came at 4:15 of round one.
• Added another regional title-level style finish to his resume.

Du Plessis stopped Lutterbach in the second round during his KSW stint and showed his pressure game could travel outside South Africa. The result kept him trending upward after the Soldic rivalry split.

Key moments

• Won by second-round TKO.
• The stoppage came at 3:04 of round two.
• Recorded another high-level regional finish outside EFC.

Soldic got his revenge in the rematch, knocking Du Plessis out in the third round at Wembley. The defeat remains one of the more important pre-UFC losses on Du Plessis' record because it came against another serious future contender.

Key moments

• Lost by third-round knockout.
• The finish came at 2:33 of round three.
• Split the two-fight series with Roberto Soldic.

In the first Soldic meeting, Du Plessis stormed through the second round and forced the TKO with punches. It was one of the better names on his pre-UFC ledger and helped raise his profile outside the EFC scene.

Key moments

• Won by second-round TKO.
• The finish came at 1:37 of round two.
• Took the first fight of the notable Soldic rivalry.

Du Plessis needed only a minute and a half to choke Bahati out with a guillotine. It was another fast EFC finish during the stretch when he was building his championship reputation.

Key moments

• Won by first-round submission.
• The guillotine choke ended the fight at 1:30 of round one.
• Extended his EFC run with another quick finish.

Da Rocha Jr. lasted almost a full round, but Du Plessis still finished him with punches before the horn. The result kept his momentum intact heading into the Bahati fight later that year.

Key moments

• Won by first-round TKO.
• The stoppage came at 3:58 of round one.
• Added another punch-driven finish to his EFC run.

Du Plessis turned a longer fight into another submission win by catching Haratyk with a second-round guillotine. It was one more example of how his pressure could turn into a finish even after the early storm passed.

Key moments

• Won by second-round submission.
• The guillotine choke came at 3:34 of round two.
• Closed another EFC fight without needing the judges.

Van Staden pushed Du Plessis deeper than usual, but Du Plessis still found a third-round guillotine to close the fight. The late submission showed he could sustain his offense into the championship rounds of a regional bout.

Key moments

• Won by third-round submission.
• The guillotine choke came at 3:59 of round three.
• Finished a longer fight late rather than coasting to a decision.

Du Plessis beat Mukulu the first time with a second-round rear-naked choke, continuing the pre-UFC stretch where submissions piled up almost as quickly as knockouts. The finish also foreshadowed the rematch win over the same opponent in 2013-listed form on the page.

Key moments

• Won by second-round rear-naked choke.
• The finish came at 2:50 of round two.
• Added another repeatable submission threat to his record.

Bagattin made it into the second round, but Du Plessis still secured a rear-naked choke and got the tap. It was another clean submission on the run that built his name on the African regional scene.

Key moments

• Won by second-round submission.
• The rear-naked choke came at 3:33 of round two.
• Kept his finish-heavy EFC pace moving.

Du Plessis needed nearly the full round here, but he still found the rear-naked choke before time expired. It was a useful early-career sign that he stayed dangerous even when a finish did not materialize immediately.

Key moments

• Won by first-round submission.
• The rear-naked choke came at 4:50 of round one.
• Finished the fight late in the frame instead of needing a second round.

McLellan handed Du Plessis one of the early losses on his record by forcing a technical guillotine submission in round three. The setback mattered because it came in a deeper fight and gave him a serious test before the longer winning surge that followed.

Key moments

• Lost by third-round technical submission.
• The guillotine finish came at 2:12 of round three.
• Stands as one of the few defeats on his pre-UFC record.

Du Plessis closed the opening round hard against Hawkey and forced the TKO with punches. It was one more first-round EFC stoppage during the fast rise of his early career.

Key moments

• Won by first-round TKO.
• The stoppage came at 4:50 of round one.
• Added another late-round flurry finish to his streak.

Lamprecht extended Du Plessis into the third round, but Du Plessis still found a rear-naked choke to finish the job. The fight showed how early he was already comfortable winning with either pace or submission craft.

Key moments

• Won by third-round submission.
• The rear-naked choke came at 1:54 of round three.
• Closed another longer regional fight without the judges.

In the earlier Mukulu meeting on the page, Du Plessis finished with a first-round rear-naked choke. It was one of the early results that started to define him as a genuine all-around finisher.

Key moments

• Won by first-round submission.
• The rear-naked choke came at 2:34 of round one.
• Opened his history with Bruno Belabela Mukulu with a quick finish.

Du Plessis started this stretch by stopping Makuebo with punches in just over a minute. The quick finish set the tone for the finish-heavy record that followed him all the way to the UFC belt.

Key moments

• Won by first-round TKO.
• The stoppage came at 1:18 of round one.
• Opened his listed EFC run with a fast striking finish.