Northern Edition

Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
New Zealand New Zealand
France France

UFC champ du Plessis to walk out with Springboks greats before title fight

Siya Kolisi and Eben Etzebeth of South Africa poses with the Webb Ellis Cup during the South Africa Winners Portrait shoot after the Rugby World Cup Final match between New Zealand and South Africa at Stade de France on October 29, 2023 in Paris, France. (Photo by Adam Pretty - World Rugby/World Rugby via Getty Images)

UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis has confirmed “a done deal” plan to walk out with Springboks Eben Etzebeth and Siya Kolisi before his title fight against Israel Adesanya at UFC 305 in Perth on Sunday.

ADVERTISEMENT

Like many South Africans, du Plessis reportedly grew up dreaming of one day pulling on the iconic green jersey of the Springboks in the Test rugby arena. While du Plessis’s sporting career has gone in another direction, the 30-year-old remains passionate about rugby.

When fights fans from around the world stop to watch one of the most highly-anticipated middleweight bouts in recent UFC history, du Plessis will walk towards the octagon at Perth’s RAC Arena in a moment that will echo throughout South African sporting history.

Video Spacer
Video Spacer

The champion fighter from Pretoria will wear custom South Africa shorts for this blockbuster against Nigerian-New Zealand fighter Adesanya, and he’ll also be joined by two of the greatest Springboks to have pulled on the jersey in the Test arena.

Two-time Rugby World Cup winners Eben Etzebeth and captain Siya Kolisi are set to join du Plessis on the walk out to the octagon. If you’re a fight fan, you’ll understand just how big of a moment this will be for everyone involved – including fans back in South Africa.

“We are trying to get Eben (Etzebeth) and Siya (Kolisi) to walk out with me and it looks like it’s a done deal,” du Plessis told KFM Mornings.

ADVERTISEMENT

“They won’t be sitting in my corner but will walk out with me to the octagon which is pretty special.”

Du Plessis will likely fight Adesanya around midway (local time) on Sunday. That title bout follows the Springboks’ second Rugby Championship clash against the Wallabies in as many weeks, with that match scheduled for Saturday evening at Optus Stadium.

The Springboks are riding a wave of confidence going into a fight of their own. They dominated the Wallabies last weekend in Brisbane as they snapped their long-lasting Suncorp Stadium hoodoo with a masterful 33-7 win.

Related

Coach Rassie Erasmus has made 10 changes to the starting side, which has led some media outlets to label this new-look XV as a ‘B team.’ Elrigh Louw basically laughed that off in an interview with RugbyPass this week as the players themselves focused on the job at hand.

ADVERTISEMENT

“Because Perth is so far ahead, I’m fighting on Sunday and the Springboks are playing on Saturday. All of them are going to be at the fight, and it’s going to be awesome,” du Plessis explained.

“The Boks are playing, they are the pride of South Africa, and then I’m fighting, all on the same weekend – talk about stars aligning.”

Du Plessis is looking to defend his UFC middleweight belt for the first time after beating American Sean Strickland by split decision at UFC 297 in Canada earlier this year. The South African was strategic and effective during the fight and was rewarded by the judges.

But with that comes pressure. The Springboks know a thing or two about defending world titles after taking out the Rugby World Cup crown in 2019 and then again in 2023. Du Plessis will have the whole world watching but the Boks will be supporting their countryman the whole way.

“It gets me excited knowing that the whole world is watching. More people to see what we’re all about, that’s not pressure that’s excitement.

“The bigger the moment, the bigger Dricus shows up on the night. I can’t wait. This fight is by far the biggest of my career. This is my World Cup, my last one was in January in Canada and now I’m defending it.

“Once I put that South African flag around my shoulders, there is nothing in the world that can stop me. He can knock me down, but he won’t knock me out and he won’t keep me down.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Boks Office | Episode 39 | The Investec Champions Cup is back

Argentina v France | HSBC SVNS Hong Kong 2025 | Men's Match Highlights

New Zealand v Australia | HSBC SVNS Hong Kong 2025 | Women's Match Highlights

Tokyo Sungoliath vs Shizuoka BlueRevs | Japan Rugby League One 2024/25 | Full Match Replay

Reds vs Force | Super Rugby W 2025 | Full Match Replay

The Rise of Kenya | The Report

New Zealand in Hong Kong | Brady Rush | Sevens Wonders | Episode 4

The Fixture: How This Rugby Rivalry Has Lasted 59 Years

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

0 Comments
Be the first to comment...

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

C
ChristelLoewe 2 hours ago
Depoortere prolonge jusqu'en 2028 avec Bordeaux-Bègles

REACH OUT TO TECH CYBER FORCE RECOVERY FOR A GREAT JOB

WhatsApp +15617263697

Fine wine and crypto do not always blend well, especially after a few drinks. I learned this the hard way after a record harvest at my vineyard. Swirling an old Cabernet under the stars, I was a financial connoisseur, my $720,000 Bitcoin wallet aging well for future returns. But the next morning, with a hangover as intense as my Merlion, I realized I'd forgotten my wallet password. Even worse, my recovery phrase, which I'd written down in my wine cellar notebook, had vanished. My eager new assistant had tidied up, mistaking my scribbled security notes for wine tasting spillage, and donated the entire book to the recycling gods. I dove into the garbage cans like a desperate sommelier searching for a quality grape but came up with broken dreams and soggy cardboard. Panic set in faster than cork taint. I faced the bitter truth: my digital fortune was bottled up tighter than a corked bottle with no opener. I sank into denial, questioning whether my future vineyard expansion would now be reduced to selling boxed wine. I panicked, pored over industry publications, and came across a wine industry newsletter that mentioned Tech Cyber Force Recovery. Their slogan, something playful about "decanting lost crypto," seemed like a sign from God. I contacted them, half-expecting snobbery or skepticism. What I received instead were tech wizards who tackled my case with humor and precision. Their team labored over my case like veteran sommeliers dissecting terroir. They painstakingly reconstructed transaction flows, timestamp records, and subtle wallet behavior. It was as if I was watching wine connoisseurs sniff out hints of blackcurrant and oak, but with algorithms and blockchain forensics. Each day, they provided updates with the finesse of tasting notes. “We’re detecting progress, notes of potential access, hints of password recovery on the finish.” Their creativity lightened my anxiety, and ten days later, they uncorked my digital vault. When I saw my Bitcoin balance restored, I nearly opened a bottle of my best vintage at 9 AM. My assistant and I shared a hearty laugh; he's still working for me, but now he labels my ledgers with "DO NOT TOUCH" in bold. My wine business is thriving thanks to Tech Cyber Force Recovery, and I have a new rule: passwords before Pinot. Cheers to their genius!

0 Go to comments
J
JW 2 hours ago
'I feel for the players': Jamie Joseph's reflection on falling short again

Some great leadership quality from Big Jim, he facilitated for large parts then put the responsibility on himself at the end drive the team forward in the last desperate minutes. He also filled in for Withy extremely well, adding real strength to the maul.


The Force have been playing very well this year indeed, and their stars did make a couple of key players, the main factor though is definitely what I reported in the previous article “

Gotta say I’m really enjoying the Highlanders desperation in the last 10 minutes of games, maybe it’s just because theyre having to throw the kitchen sink at it again. Another massive effort to hold the opposition out just like in the Blues game. I’m sure the coach’s will be wanting a little more composure though as the play seems to far more hap hazard (really just the type of footy I like watching) than the picture they bring at the beggining of games.

Again though they don’t have the refs to thank for anything, being down a man twenty more minutes than they should have been. Most importantly they were without one of they best attackers (not counting Tangitau’s early change) for the final push, with Nareki’s bin.

Again, I can see where this team is trying to go, I hope they can get their this year as they certainly have the game to be a top four team if they click. They are munch of misfits when you look at it objectively though, they probably have the worst cohesion score of any SRP team. A few more wins, maybe a come from behind upset may be the best theey can hope to acheive this year.

“. Like Jim I thought the defence stood up strongly for large parts, but they may just have some structural issues, where it’s just not paying off. They had Lawaqa on the wing all day, allowed the Force to make a dozen linebreaks, why? Both there attack and defence look a bit too fancy for me, why? Common Joseph, the youngest team with the least cohesion/most new guys, it look overly complicated.


I hope it clicks. Manson in particular looked to be trying far too hard when he came on, what’s been said in his ear? Stick to you lane son and don’t make any mistakes, don’t lose the game for your team. Should be a comfortable win next week against Drua if they keep there heads up and come back stronger. Lasaqa might be best to come off the bench, would keep Jim at 12 but I’d like Tele’a to come back to the side, though TUJ hasn’t been bad and style might suit Drua more. Hopefully Renton or someone with some size is at 8 or 6, Lasaqa appears to be more an 8 actually, similar to Sititi and I wouldn’t mind if he was groomed behind him and Sotutu. Lennox I thought could make a good halfback but isn’t ready, I’d hope Arscott, Fakatava, or Pledger could return to the side. Other than Drua theyve got Cheifs twice, though the home game is the last of the round/season so potentially a gimme if the Chiefs repeat previous years tactics. The Crusaders and Moana at home are also very doable. Those four wins could see them crash into the top 6 still.

6 Go to comments
TRENDING
TRENDING Ronan O'Gara eyes huge Six Nations star for free-falling La Rochelle Ronan O'Gara eyeing huge Six Nations star for free-falling La Rochelle
Search