Chael Sonnen knows a breakout star when he sees one. And for him, Dricus du Plessis is the fighter of the year in the UFC. In classic Sonnen fashion, he laid out the factors point blank: A breakout fighter’s social media following multiplies by almost 100,000; he turns from being unknown to getting mobbed for photos; and headlines pay-per-views after featuring mostly in free prelims.
That’s exactly the kind of rise Du Plessis has had through 2024. He claimed UFC gold, and has cemented himself as one of the hottest names in the sport. During a recent episode of Good Guy/Bad Guy, Sonnen and Daniel Cormier were joined by Laura Sanko to go over their end-of-the-year honors list.
Among the awards was the ‘Breakout Fighter of the Year’. And Sonnen explained the reason he picked DDP as the clear winner.
“If your Twitter account goes from 241 to 241,000 you have broken through. If you could walk through the same doors fans walk through to get to an event, and nobody recognizes you or stops you for a photo, and then all of a sudden you need private security, you’ve broken through,” Sonnen said.
“If you go from off of TV on a free fight card to headlining act, you’ve broken through. That describes Dricus Du Plessis,” he added.
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In 2024, Du Plessis started off by winning the title against Sean Strickland at UFC 297. He then booked a fight against Israel Adesanya — the most heated rivalry of the year, according to Sonnen. Not only did DDP secure a win over Adesanya, he did so via a submission.
In another interview, Australian MMA star Robert Whittaker also praised Du Plessis, with a special mention of his win over Adesanya.
Whittaker tips his hat to du Plessis for perfect game plan
Whittaker, who has faced both Adesanya and Du Plessis, said that the South African may have shown the blueprint to beating Adesanya to other fighters. He pointed out that du Plessis’ awkward but aggressive style, combined with sheer power, was key to his win over Adesanya.
“You have to make Izzy uncomfortable, stay on him, and don’t let him play his game. Give him stress, don’t give him any space,” Whittaker said in a recent episode of the MMArcade podcast.
That said, Whittaker still leans toward Adesanya as the favorite in his next fight against Nassourdine Imavov in Saudi Arabia. The February 1 tussle would be Adesanya’s first non-title fight in five years. Whittaker added that Izzy’s counter-striking, and ability to pick apart opponents would see him prevail.
While there are many who feel that this fight signals a “changing of the guard”, Whittaker isn’t so sure.
“Izzy looked great against Dricus – until he didn’t,” he added.
Du Plessis, on the other hand, will next fight Sean Strickland at UFC 312 in Sydney on February 9, 2025.
