Dricus du Plessis credits coach with decision to fight southpaw

South African MMA superstar Dricus du Plessis has credited his coach Morne Visser with coming up with the gameplan that has earned him a shot at the UFC middleweight title.

Du Plessis, who often switches stance in fights, set up as southpaw from the off in a departure from his conventional style.

Dricus du Plessis lauds Morne Visser

He said that Visser came up with the plan and the strategy of putting relentless pressure on Robert Whittaker.

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At the post-fight press conference, Du Plessis was asked if there was anything about the fight that surprised him.

He replied: “No, not at all. Especially in the beginning of the fight. I said it, I can’t go and fight Robert or get like I fought to Brad Tavares. He is too good and too calculated. I needed to figure out his timing. I think the game plan, my coach, Morne Visser, is obviously a guru at this. He is the man who put this all together, coming out and fighting Southpaw against a guy like Whitaker.

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“I always do switch stance, but to go and learn a complete new style for this guy, and it just worked perfectly. But in that first, I would say, first half of the first round, I was almost checking to see, okay, how fast is he? How hard does he hit? And he hits hard and he hits fast. But it was just getting that time and seeing, okay, but it was still going forward and putting pressure on. That was the plan. And that’s what I executed. Much easier said than done when you’re fighting and standing in front of Robert Whittaker, throwing these big shots. But at the end of the day, I progressed and I made that pressure forward, made the pressure forward.”

Nose questions put to bed

Du Plessis was delighted with the biggest win of his career and to put to bed any concerns about his surgically repaired nose.

“Definitely the biggest win of my career,” du Plessis said.

“Leading up to this, I knew this was the biggest fight of my career. It’s Robert Whittaker, the man who hasn’t lost to anybody else than the champion almost a decade. But I said it, it’s not going to see the third round. TKO in a second happened that way because I just know my fighting style. I guess this answers all the nose questions.”