South Africa's UFC champion Dricus du Plessis is laughing all the way to the bank after reportedly earning a whopping $2.14 million (R40 million) after his successful title defence against Sean Strickland in Australia on Sunday.
Image: Photo: AFP
South Africa's UFC champion Dricus du Plessis is laughing all the way to the bank after allegedly earning a whopping $2.14 million (R40 million) after his successful title defence against Sean Strickland in Australia on Sunday.
"Stillknocks" came into the bout determined to silence critics and cement his position as the king of the middleweight division. His initial split-decision victory over Strickland, which earned him the title last year, had sparked controversy and raised questions about the legitimacy of his win.
However, he put those doubts to rest with a dominant display on Sunday, outperforming the American fighter over five rounds, breaking his nose in the process and ultimately retaining the title by unanimous decision.
The win extended his unbeaten streak to nine in the UFC and could potentially catapult him up the UFC's pound-for-pound rankings, where he is currently ranked seventh.
Following his victory du Plessis revealed that his game plan was to stay focused and calm.
"The game plan was to stay calm. My coach said to me: 'Dricus, we know you can knock someone out, we know you have that dog, try and stay calm," he said.
His impressive performance proved lucrative. According to Jacaranda FM he allegedly earned a base salary of $1.2 million, plus $400,000 in pay-per-view payouts and $42,000 in sponsorships, bringing his total earnings to $2.14 million (approximately R40 million).
IOL Sport
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