UFC middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis says his mindset heading into a fight is what separates him from the rest.
Du Plessis (22-2 MMA, 8-0 UFC) defends his title against Sean Strickland (29-6 MMA, 16-6 UFC) in a rematch, which headlines Saturday’s UFC 312 event at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney. The main card streams on ESPN+ pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2 and ESPN+.
“When I go in there, if the ref doesn’t stop it, I’m not stopping,” Du Plessis told Mark Bouris. “I can be sitting on you for 10 minutes bashing your face and if the ref doesn’t say stop, I’m not stopping. That is the question that me, as a modern-day gladiator has to ask myself: Am I still willing to die Absolutely. That’s easy.
“It’s, are you willing to kill a man in front of his family? Yes, I am, and that’s why I’m the world champion. I say yes to that question every single time. But that’s Dricus ‘Stillknocks’ Du Plessis. That’s not Dricus the guy that you see right here.”
Separation from Strickland
Strickland challenged Du Plessis to a striking-only battle after getting taken down six times in their first fight at UFC 297. However, Du Plessis thinks Strickland’s words don’t match his fighting style.
“That was exactly what we did the last time,” Du Plessis said. “He said, ‘To death, let’s go, let’s fight to death,’ and the man threw a jab and a teep for five rounds. And this is stats, you can check it. For 23 minutes, I went forward. He went forward for two minutes.
“That is a very clear indication of who is there to fight and who is there to defend. He’s not banging. And listen, very effective style, but let’s not go and act as if Sean Strickland’s fights are entertaining. The man has eight split decisions – six victories and two losses. That is not somebody who is looking for an exciting fight.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 312.
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