Born to fight! At the young age of five, Dricus du Plessis started training judo growing up in South Africa only to expand his skillset to wrestling and kickboxing in his teens. Although he became his country’s first-ever WAKO kickboxing World Champion at age 17, he found his passion in mixed martial arts (MMA) and continued to write history: DDP’s powerful fighting style earned titles in the Extreme Fighting Championship (EFC) as Welterweight and Middleweight Champion, and the belt as Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki (KSW) Welterweight Champion. In 2020, he was ready for the biggest stage in MMA and made his debut in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Blazing through top contenders in the 185-pound division undefeated, Du Plessis became the first South African fighter to win a UFC championship in 2024. But is the UFC Middleweight Championship belt enough for his ambitions? “You have no idea what I’m willing to do to be the greatest, but soon you’ll find out,” he said on Instagram. You’ve been warned!