Dricus Du Plessis is currently the reigning UFC middleweight champion after defeating some of the top names in the middleweight division. One of these top names is Robert Whittaker. Interestingly, there were speculations about Whittaker being past his prime following his defeat against DDP. However, he later overcame these allegations, for which Du Plessis praised him.
DDP rose through the ranks of the UFC middleweight division. However, one of the most competitive fighters in the division still awaits him. The South African fighter is set to face Israel Adesanya this coming weekend. However, Du Plessis sang high praises for a former UFC middleweight champion before that.
Honestly, when I beat Whittaker I was like you guys are insane for thinking is a washed fighter… He’s been number one. He has beaten every single person other than Adesanya… I’m so happy he gets back in there and he just you know proves why he’s one of the greatest fighters ever.
Dricus Du Plessis via THE MMA GURU YT Channel
Following his loss against DDP, Robert Whittaker assured everyone that he would return stronger. Nevertheless, most people believed that Whittaker had gone past his prime. However, the Reaper made a significant comeback by beating Paulo Costa and Ikram Aliskerov in his next fights. With those victories, the Reaper silenced his critics.
Du Plessis also revealed that he supported Whittaker even before entering the UFC. Even before the fight, when Whittaker walked out to the octagon, DDP revealed he was fanboying him. At UFC 290, many expected Whittaker to smash the underdog in DDP. However, that didn’t happen because of a variety of reasons.
How did Dricus Du Plessis overcome a formidable opponent like Robert Whittaker?
Robert Whittaker is considered one of the major contenders in the UFC middleweight division. Winning this fight was crucial for a rising star like DDP to make a mark in the promotion. Interestingly, it wasn’t just his win that grabbed attention and established him as a strong candidate for the title. The way Du Plessis emerged victorious over Whittaker had a big role in his rise at UFC.
Dricus Du Plessis and Robert Whittaker at UFC 290 (Image via Daily Mail)‘Stillknocks’ stopped the Reaper in the second round of their co-main event showdown and immediately had a confrontation with Adesanya. As per DDP, his impressive victory over Whittaker was primarily due to his coach’s strategy.
All credit to my coach for that fight. There’s very very few holes in the game of Robert Whittaker. Fighting southpaws, he beat all of them but he got caught a few times coming in. And we went through the videos and he just showed me every time he saw it. And my coach came to me and says, ‘OK we’re going to fight southpaw,’ and he was right. The game plan worked out perfectly.
Dricus Du Plessis via UFC 305 Countdown
The clip also revealed that then-champion Israel Adesanya was rooting for Du Plessis to win while attending the event. Adesanya and DDP have had ongoing bad blood for over a year now, and both will finally get to settle their debate at UFC 305. Now, coming to Whittaker, the Reaper might have the chance to regain the UFC gold if he beats Khamzat Chimaev.
