Dricus du Plessis posts emotional message celebrating two-year anniversary of fighting "a hero" of his in the UFC

Dricus du Plessis recently released a heartwarming statement to honor fighting a former UFC champion in the octagon. Du Plessis expressed his admiration for the individual and thanked everyone who supported him on his journey to the UFC gold.

For context, 9th July marked the two-year anniversary of du Plessis' fight with Robert Whittaker on the main card of UFC 290 in 2023. The South African proved his worth and defeated Whittaker in the second round. He chased down 'The Reaper' before inflicting serious damage with ground and pound attacks as referee Marc Goddard intervened to end the bout.

In order to celebrate his victory over Whittaker, du Plessis recently shared a touching message on his Instagram, writing:

''2 years ago today I had the privilege to fight a hero of mine, this fight had so much more on the line than a ranking, this was the day I proved to myself and the world that I have what it takes to be the best in the world. Thank you for all the support over the years and thank you for the doubters too since you also play your part in making these victories so much sweeter, but most of all thank you to my saviour Jesus Christ for being with me every step of the way, for you are with me so who can be against me AMEN.''

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Whittaker responded to du Plessis' heartfelt gesture in the aforementioned post's comments section. The 34-year-old wrote:

''Thank you for the kind words champ''

Screenshot of Robert Whittaker's comment on Dricus du Plessis' Instagram post

After defeating Whittaker, which paved the way for UFC gold, du Plessis challenged then-champion Sean Strickland at UFC 297 last year. 'Stilknocks' displayed his resilience and dethroned Strickland via unanimous decision.

Robert Whittaker thinks Dricus du Plessis will defeat Khamzat Chimaev

Dricus du Plessis will make his third middleweight title defense against Khamzat Chimaev in the main event of UFC 319 on Aug. 16.

In a recent interview with Fox Sports Australia's Niko Pajarillo, Robert Whittaker, who has previously faced both, predicted that du Plessis would prevail over Chimaev.

I'd have to say Dricus [du Plessis] would be a favorite. Or he probably is the favorite. I think I’m leaning towards Dricus. The question, the whole thing can be summed up in, Chimaev will take him down. It’s will he finish him before he gets back up? That’s the million-dollar question. If he doesn’t finish him on the ground, I think he loses.”

Check out Robert Whittaker's comments below (5:02):

About the author

Swagat is a dynamic MMA writer with a total experience of a little less than a year, which includes time in retail and sports journalism. He holds an MBA degree.

Swagat fell in love with the sport after watching the iconic grudge match between Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier at UFC 182 in early 2015. Nate Diaz holds a special place in his heart for the Stockton native’s entertaining fan-friendly style and ability to deliver exciting fights regardless of the opponent.

In terms of rule changes in MMA, Swagat advocates for making scores public after each round, adding transparency to judging decisions.

Swagat prioritizes accuracy and relevance while writing and conducts thorough research to ensure the content is fresh and reliable.

He enjoys playing football and painting during his free time.

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Edited by Swagat Kumar Jena