Dricus du Plessis

South African middleweight Dricus du Plessis is wasting no time getting back in the UFC octagon in his bid to climb the rankings. Photo: Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Dricus du Plessis to take on Derek Brunson at UFC 285

South African middleweight Dricus du Plessis is wasting no time getting back in the UFC octagon in his bid to climb the rankings.

Dricus du Plessis

South African middleweight Dricus du Plessis is wasting no time getting back in the UFC octagon in his bid to climb the rankings. Photo: Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

South African middleweight Dricus du Plessis is wasting no time getting back in the UFC octagon.

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Fresh off his win over England’s Darren Till in December 2022, Du Plessis (18-2) has been booked to fight American Derek Brunson (23-8) at UFC 285.

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Du Plessis’ win saw him move up to 10th in the UFC middleweight rankings. Brunson is currently ranked fifth.

News of the match-up was reported by ESPN.

While Brunson had been mulling retirement in recent months, the longtime 185-pounder recently changed his tune, suggesting he wanted to fight four times in 2023.

First up is Du Plessis, in a fight that sees Brunson looking to bounce back from a loss to Jared Cannonier last February.

Dricus du Plessis undefeated in four UFC fights

Prior to that, Brunson had strung together a five-fight win streak, including victories over Edmen Shahbazyan, Darren Till, and Kevin Holland.

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Du Plessis, a former KSW champ, remains undefeated inside the octagon through four fights.

Prior to submitting England’s Till, “Stillknocks” picked up wins over Trevin Giles, Brad Tavares, and Markus Perez.

UFC 285 is set to take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday, March 4, 2023.

While no main event has been announced, thus far, the following fights have been reported for the card:

  • Jessica Penne vs. Tabatha Ricci
  • Da’Mon Blackshear vs. Farid Basharat
  • Amanda Ribas vs. Viviane Araújo
  • Cody Garbrandt vs. Julio Arce
  • Julian Marquez vs. Marc-André Barriault
  • Derek Brunson vs. Dricus du Plessis