The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has a double dose of South African flavour in its ranks. This past weekend both Dricus du Plessis and UFC newcomer, Cameron Saaiman, came out victorious in their respective bouts in UFC 282.
An incredible rise for Du Plessis
Breaking into the UFC is not a simple thing to do. You need a delicate balance of skill and flair and years of hard word. Once that opportunity eventually comes a-begging, you need to grasp it in a headlock-like grip.
That is exactly what Dricus du Plessis did. His first opportunity came close to the back end of 2020 and has since disrupted the bath water. “Stillknocks” is unbeaten after four outings in the cage, and over the past weekend made history by becoming the first South African to defeat a fighter with a top 10 ranking.
Dricus du Plessis discusses his pride in representing South Africa alongside Cameron Saaiman and how South Africans will be watching the event at bars in the middle of the night.
Full interview: https://t.co/8gXDhrDW5U pic.twitter.com/aGVYfWVqQs
— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) December 10, 2022
Dricus du Plessis breaks into the Top 10
The Middleweight meeting with Darren Till, who had a ranking of number 10, was an enormous opportunity for the South African. Dricus dominated the fight, striking his English competitor twice as much as he received.
𝐅𝐥𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐀𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐟𝐥𝐚𝐠 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡 🇿🇦
Dricus du Plessis won his match at #UFC282 via submission in round 3 🤩
He's now in the TOP 10 of the middleweight division 👏pic.twitter.com/i0aw6wQOc2
— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) December 11, 2022
Du Plessis completed 6 takedowns to Tills one and had three submission attempts to Tills zero. Darren Till was eventually caught in a rear-naked choke and tapped out. Victory for Du Plessis came midway through the third and final round.
The win will see him move into the top 10. An incredible achievement that will see his chances of fighting for a Middleweight title skyrocket.
@Springboks have you been teaching @dricusduplessis how to do rugby tackles/scrum?
Because I swear, I saw his rugby instincts kick in in his fight against @darrentill2#UFC282#Rugby pic.twitter.com/ADJM5lKH6w
— Afrikan|Chef_™ (@AfrikanChefZA) December 11, 2022
Cameron Saaiman breaks Koslow’s streak
UFC newcomer Cameron Saaiman had a Bantamweight bout against the Floridian, Steven Koslow. Both fighters’ records stood at 6-0-0 (wins-losses-draws) in their UFC career ahead of the fight, and with mere seconds remaining of round 3, Saaiman rained down a combination of fists and knees to Koslow’s head for victory in Las Vegas.
Cameron Saaiman (@Cameron_Saaiman) talks about the dream come true of winning his UFC debut and his plans to celebrate his birthday following #UFC282. 🎙@DoubleGonTV
⬇️⬇️⬇️
WATCH: https://t.co/WUfylE3TqI pic.twitter.com/2WI8ZIqfNE— Cageside Press (@Cagesidepress) December 11, 2022
A big 2023 waiting on Stillknocks in the UFC cage
According to the MMA Junkie website, Du Plessis is eying to contend for a title by the end of 2023. Stillknocks is targeting a return to the Octagon in March. We could also see Du Plessis fight up to four times next year.
