Middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis isn’t content with just being a champion. He wants to be considered the greatest middleweight in UFC history.
Du Plessis captured the UFC’s 185-pound championship at UFC 297 in January 2024 by defeating Sean Strickland via split decision. He’s defended the title twice and defeated the previous three middleweight titleholders.
To earn the UFC 297 title shot against Strickland, Du Plessis stopped former champion Robert Whittaker in the second round at UFC 290. The South African’s first title defense was against former two-time champion Israel Adesanya. He finished “The Last Stylebender” via submission at UFC 305. The win over Adesanya set up a rematch with Strickland. Du Plessis defeated “Tarzan” in a one-sided unanimous decision in the UFC 312 main even earlier this month.
The UFC 312 win over Strickland put him tied with former champion Chris Weidman for the third longest winning streak in UFC middleweight history with 9 consecutive victories. Adesanya sits in the second spot with 12, and Anderson Silva holds the record for 13 consecutive wins in the 185-pound weight class.
“I’m not celebrating being the third person, otherwise the longest winning streak. Absolutely not,” Du Plessis said during a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show. “I am No. 1 and that’s what I’m going for.
“I never doubted myself for one single day. There wasn’t a fight, there wasn’t a time that I ever doubted it. I knew there was work to be done and I had big, big shoes to fill,” Du Plessis continued. “Anderson Silva is one of my heroes in all of sports, so I am no oblivious to the fact at how big these shoes are. But I’ve never once stood up when I woke up and thought I can’t fill these shoes. I know I will. That’s what I’m going for, the legacy of being the greatest to ever do this.”
