Dricus Du Plessis has revealed that he walks around 230 lbs when not in training camp, which is shocking, considering that he fights in the UFC middleweight division that has an upper limit of 185 lbs.
It is normal for combat sports athletes to experiment a little and choose a weight division in which they feel agile, durable, and powerful. You might not notice it as a fan, but weight cutting, over the years, has become a very complex and integral part of the sport.
From Daniel Cormier and Khabib Nurmagomedov to Yoel Romero and Deiveson Figueiredo, some of the biggest names out there have faced significant weight-cut complications throughout their career. Most of the times, fights are canceled due to weight misses and fines are imposed on the fighter who weighs in over the limit.
The South African understands the importance of weight cutting well and has a proper team to help him fight in middleweight without health and fitness-related worries. In a recent interview with Mark Bouris ahead of UFC 312 in Australia, “Stillknocks” revealed his walk-in weight:
“Around 102 -105 kgs. That’s me, like, I would say three weeks after a fight, four weeks after a fight. Then you’re training, eating whatever you didn’t eat in the last 12 weeks. You’re eating whatever you want, drinking a lot of beer and enjoying life a little for that period because you have to do that. You have to unwind and also, I love this sport more than anything. So, you also have that break.”
Since Du Plessis fights at 185lbs (approximately 83.9 kg), he cuts 15 to 20 kgs in the fight camp to make it to the weigh-in. However, it is important to note that fighters get a couple of days to rehydrate before the actual fight which is why they look different on fight day compared to weigh-in day.
Du Plessis also recalled the days when he used to compete at 170lbs:
“When I was 25 , 26 you know my body just became heavier and bigger, so to make that weight, my body fat was like 3%. and I made the weight, but every shot I would take feels like somebody’s hitting me with a baseball bat and that’s It. I said no I’m not doing this anymore because I’m going to lose unnecessary fights and it took the joy out of sport because my diet had to, I had one week off in terms of just diet and then I’d start dieting for the next fight because I would go up from 77 getting in the cage at around 92. A week later, I’m a 100 kilos again so then the whole process start all over and that’s not healthy.”
Along with the weight cut, Du Plessis highlighted why proper rehydration is a big deal for fighters who’re expected to take a lot of damage in every outing:
“We need to get punched in the face, you need to be able to perform for the timing, it’s I mean you have to be able to perform at the highest level on earth, you know cardio wise, muscle endurance all of that I mean whole body is consist of water so if your brain, I mean the shots you take so you have to all that in consideration when you’re cutting this weight and do it in such a manner where it doesn’t negatively affect your fights.”
Based on the numbers stated above, it is safe to say that Du Plessis is a huge middleweight like Alex Pereira, who currently holds light heavyweight gold in the UFC.
After taking on a couple more contenders at middleweight like Khamzat Chimaev and Nassourdine Imavov, the middleweight kingpin can definitely consider moving up a weight class as his physique is suited to compete in two weight divisions.