Dricus du Plessis Photo: EFC Africa
Dricus du Plessis earns R1 million bonus for flattening Robert Whittaker
South Africa’s Dricus du Plessis picked up a $50 000 performance of the night bonus following his win over Robert Whittaker at UFC 290.
Dricus du Plessis Photo: EFC Africa
South African UFC star Dricus du Plessis picked up a $50 000 performance of the night bonus following his win over Robert Whittaker at UFC 290.
Du Plessis stopped his Australian opponent 2:23 into the second round in Las Vegas on Saturday.
Du Plessis, 29, was one of two fighters to earn a $50 000 performance of the night bonus – which equates to just under R1 million.
The other was women’s strawweight fighter Denise Gomes who stopped Yazmin Jaurehui after just 20 seconds of their bout on the preliminary card.
Du Plessis’s pay cheque for winning his fight was unclear at the time of publishing.
Meanwhile, as reported by The South African website, former United States President Donald Trump was the first spectator to congratulate Du Plessis following his win over Whittaker.
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Trump, now 77, is a big UFC fan and is often in attendance ring-side at the organisation’s pay-per-views events.
Trump was seated alongside Dana White as a special guest of the UFC president.
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After winning his bout in the second round due to strikes, Du Plessis climbed the octagon fence and spotted Trump in his seat.
Donald Trump shook hands
Du Plessis jumped down and shook hands with the former American president as well as with White.
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As reported by The South African website, the referee called an end to Du Plessis’s fight 2:23 minutes into the second round.
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Du Plessis, nicknamed ‘Stillknocks’, was a massive underdog with the bookmakers heading into the bout, but the win saw him move to a perfect 6-0 in his UFC career.
Du Plessis, 29, will now fight Nigeria-born New Zealander and middleweight champion Israel Adesanya at UFC 293 in Sydney, Australia on 10 September 2023.
Adesanya will turn 34 on 22 July.
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