Dricus du Plessis fully expects to get past Khamzat Chimaev, and he plans to return to a familiar topic of conversation in the aftermath.
Du Plessis and Chimaev will headline UFC 319 on August 16, as the United Center in Chicago stages Octagon action. The South African’s middleweight gold will be on the line in a matchup many have pointed to as the champion’s biggest hurdle to date.
Like his upcoming challenger, Du Plessis has remained undefeated in the UFC thus far. And his rise to stardom on MMA’s biggest stage has boosted talk of his dream coming to fruition — the promotion’s debut event in Africa.
Having not competed in his home continent since 2017, ‘Stillknocks’ does not plan to abandon his hopes of defending gold on home soil while he sits on a UFC throne.
Dricus du Plessis plans to advance UFC Africa plans once he gets past Khamzat Chimaev
A couple of champions right now are angling for the UFC to stage an event in their home country. Dana White dealt a blow to Ilia Topuria’s dream of a card in Spain after his lightweight crown at UFC 317, so Du Plessis will hope to have more luck pushing for the Octagon to touch down in South Africa.
The promotion has yet to stage an event in the continent and was recently beaten by the PFL, who became the first global promotion to stage an event in Africa with a card in Cape Town on July 18.
For the time being, Du Plessis is focused on handling business against Chimaev in his first fight on United States soil since 2023. But if he emerges victorious, ‘Stillknocks’ fully intends to once again press the issue with White and co.
“The right people were speaking to each other,” Du Plessis told Scott Fontana for the New York Post. “I was involved in these conversations, (but) as soon as this fight was made, my attention shifted to this fight.
“I know the conversations are there between the UFC and South Africa, and the sports ministers, and the cities, and the arenas — everything is in conversation.
“But as an update on where we are, I don’t have anything,” Du Plessis added. “That is definitely something that I will get after as soon as I am done after this fight. … The UFC is now massive (in South Africa). The country is so behind the UFC and myself, behind me fighting.
“(I am) making sure the right people speak to the right people, almost introducing the right people to each other, making sure the people that need to make it happen speak to the right people who can make it happen. That is my role.”
UFC executive called Africa debut ‘definitely a 2025 thing’ after Dricus du Plessis win
Du Plessis’ UFC Africa wish was boosted last year following his first successful defense.
After cementing himself as champion at UFC 305, where Du Plessis submitted Israel Adesanya, the champ’s push for the Octagon to head to his home continent was addressed by Dave Shaw, the UFC Executive Vice President and Head of International and Content.
“I think we’re probably closer than we’ve been in a while (to doing an event in Africa), and there’s significant interest from a few different countries,” Shaw said during the post-fight press conference.
“The Dricus situation is tough. I mean, he’s a champion, are we going to take a PPV there at the same timezone as the UK (UFC 304 PPV)? We’ve just done the Manchester event, so it’s absolutely possible, but we also want to make a good first impression.
“If we’re coming to continental Africa for the first time, do we want to do an event in the middle of the night? … If Dana wants to do an event for the fans, for the growth of the sport, despite headwinds or challenges operationally – where the event is and what time it’s going to have to be booked – then he’s going to make that decision.
“The short answer is that we’ve got a few different countries that we’re targeting, but this is definitely a 2025 thing, we don’t want to wait much longer,” Shaw added.
