Dricus Du Plessis Praises Tom Aspinall, Predicts Long UFC Championship Reign
UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis has officially joined the Tom Aspinall hype train, and his praise is nothing short of music to MMA fans' ears. The South African champion recently dropped some serious knowledge about what makes the English heavyweight such a special talent.
'He's (Aspinall) almost the next generation of heavyweight, in my opinion, where he moves like a middleweight. He's light on his feet. He can grapple, he can strike, he can wrestle, so I'm really happy for him. I think he's going to be a great champion and I think he's going to be a champion for a long time. I don't think there's a lot of heavyweights on his level right now," Du Plessis said in an interview.
He also revealed that Aspinall caught his attention from day one. 'The first time you saw Tom Aspinall fight, you knew there was something special," he said.
The praise comes at a perfect time for Aspinall, who recently ascended to undisputed heavyweight champion following Jon Jones' retirement. The 32-year-old Englishman has been on an absolute tear, showcasing the exact qualities du Plessis highlighted.
With explosive first-round knockouts over Curtis Blaydes and Sergei Pavlovich, Aspinall has proven he possesses that rare combination of technical brilliance and devastating power.
'Usually I can watch guys fight and I can get a feel for what the plan of attack is and the strategy and what they're gonna do and the way they're gonna move. With DDP, it's just a complete mystery," Aspinall had said.
The heavyweight division needed the energy injection, and Aspinall appears ready to deliver. His record-breaking UFC average fight time of just two minutes and two seconds demonstrates the finishing ability that has du Plessis impressed.
With his first title defense against Ciryl Gane on the horizon, Aspinall has the perfect opportunity to prove that du Plessis' prediction about his championship longevity is spot-on.
Meanwhile, du Plessis has his own title defense to worry about, facing the dangerous Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319. The grappling streamroller, Chimaev, is undefeated in his career and has been dominant in almost all his performances.
Dricus, undefeated in the UFC, can prove to be the kryptonite needed to derail 'Borz", while Chimaev's suffocating offensive wrestling can halt the South African's blitzes.
Whatever the result, one can always count on du Plessis to deliver pure, unadulterated entertainment in the octagon and outside of it.
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First Published:
July 31, 2025, 09:25 IST
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