Dricus du Plessis has just put the entire UFC middleweight division on notice! Following his amazing UFC 282 fight against Darren Till, du Plessis took on the biggest challenge of his career, Derek Brunson at UFC 285. Although Till was a good fighter, he did not offer much resistance to du Plessis’ grappling. However, being the elite grappler that Brunson is, fans thought he would give Dricus a tough challenge.
They were right, as Derek Brunson did not waste any time and immediately took down the South African fighter. Not only that, but Derek also landed some huge punches that rocked Dricus. At one point, both fighters had heel hooks locked in at the same time.
However, it allowed du Plessis to show his grit. Despite the adversity, Dricus survived the onslaught and ended the round strongly. After dishing out so much punishment, Derek was visibly tired.
Brunson's team throws in the towel!!@DricusduPlessis will leave #UFC285 with the stoppage victory! pic.twitter.com/SyQ5vbUmA1
— UFC (@ufc) March 5, 2023
From the very beginning of the second round, Derek looked completely gassed out. From his takedown attempts to punches, everything looked very labored! Hence Dricus took advantage of that and started picking Brunson apart on the feet. With every punch he threw, Dricus managed to rock the 39-year-old fighter. At one point, Dricus was just landing unanswered hammer fists on the veteran fighter.
Dricus Du Plessis forces Derek Brunson’s corner to throw in the towel pic.twitter.com/tNzbF6A7rf
— MMA Mania (@mmamania) March 5, 2023
It forced Derek Brunson’s corner to throw in the towel. While throwing the towel in boxing is quite common, it is much rare in MMA. However, Brunson’s corner recognized the fact that their fighter had no chance of making a comeback in the fight. Hence, they decided to save Brunson from suffering further damage which was completely unnecessary.
Fans react to Dricus du Plessis beating Derek Brunson at UFC 285
With this loss, Derek Brunson has now lost 2 fights in a row. Prior to this fight, he lost against the former title contender Jared Cannonier in a vicious manner as well. However, the most alarming aspect of the bout against du Plessis, was how quickly he became exhausted. There is no doubt that his tiredness played a major factor in his loss. At the age of 39, Derek may have to assess what the next step in his next career is.
Thanks for all who watched my career . Crazy fight tonight . My corner decided to stop it in the after the second rounds. Congrats to my opponent .
— Derek Brunson (@DerekBrunson) March 5, 2023
Following the fight, Brunson took to Twitter and thanked the fans for supporting him. With his message, Brunson also hinted at a possible retirement.
That officially makes @DricusduPlessis 5-0 in the UFC 👏 #UFC285 pic.twitter.com/CTEh8Kk6Er
— UFC (@ufc) March 5, 2023
On the other side of the story, Dricus du Plessis is on the rise in the UFC. With this amazing win, Dricus maintains his undefeated run in the UFC. He is now 5-0 in the promotion and 19-2 in his MMA career with a total of 18 finishes. During his post-fight interview, Dricus said that he wanted to fight someone who is ranked high in the division and revealed his aspirations to fight for the title soon. So what do the fans have to say about it?
Here are some fan reactions on the matter
Derek Brunson got knocked out AT THE BELL. Wow
— MMA Gone Wild🥋 (@mmagonewild) March 5, 2023
Derek Brunson in his guard waiting for those hammer fists to land #UFC285 pic.twitter.com/yHIKppVkzB
— Shed Boy (@Callum_JN) March 5, 2023
This was more skillful then Derek Brunson vs Dricus Du Plessis pic.twitter.com/arRrd6wIcO
— MannyBoom🍹🏄♂️ (@CutGuyMMA) March 5, 2023
Derek Brunson setting up a jab: #UFC285 pic.twitter.com/vGu3vtaOU4
— MacMally 🍀 (@MacMallyMMA) March 5, 2023
This is the most Derek Brunson ending to a fight I’ve ever seen
— 🌴ᴛʜᴇᴀʀᴛᴏꜰᴡᴀʀ🌴 (@TheArtOfWar6) March 5, 2023
pic.twitter.com/eukdruY22c
That first sentence sounds like you’re retiring?
— Dawn (@DawnWasTaken_) March 5, 2023
Did you get to catch the fight? If you did, what are your thoughts on Dricus du Plessis’ performance? Let us know in the comments down below.
Discussion about this post