It appears South African middleweight Dricus Du Plessis is wasting no time getting back to work.
Fresh off a high-profile win over Darren Till earlier this month, Du Plessis (18-2) has been booked opposite Derek Brunson (23-8) at UFC 285. News of the match-up was reported Wednesday by ESPN.
While Brunson had been mulling retirement in recent months, the longtime 185’lber recently changed his tune, suggesting he wanted to fight four times in 2023. First up is Du Plessis, in a fight that sees Brunson looking to bounce back from a loss to Jared Cannonier last February.
Prior to that, Brunson had strung together a five-fight win streak, including victories over Edmen Shahbazyan, Darren Till, and Kevin Holland.
Du Plessis, a former KSW champ, remains undefeated inside the octagon through four fights. Prior to submitting England’s Till, “Stillknocks” picked up wins over Trevin Giles, Brad Tavares, and Markus Perez.
UFC 285 is expected to take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on March 4, 2023. While no main event has been announced, thus far, the following fights have been reported for the card:
- Jessica Penne vs. Tabatha Ricci
- Da’Mon Blackshear vs. Farid Basharat
- Amanda Ribas vs. Viviane Araújo
- Cody Garbrandt vs. Julio Arce
- Julian Marquez vs. Marc-André Barriault
- Derek Brunson vs. Dricus du Plessis
