LOOK | Dricus du Plessis' shows off body ahead of Sean Strickland title fight at UFC 312

It's fight week and South Africa's Dricus du Plessis looks in good shape ahead of his much-anticipated UFC middleweight title defence against bitter rival Sean Strickland in Sydney, Australia on Sunday.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship announced in December that Du Plessis will have his second consecutive fight Down Under after defending his crown against Israel Adesanya in Perth, Western Australia in August.

UFC 312 will take place at Sydney's SuperDome on February 8, 2025, where Du Plessis' blockbuster fight with Strickland will be the main event on the fight card.

Du Plessis posted a picture of himself with coach Morne Visser and a sparring partner looking ripped ahead of the fight. "Ready to kill or be killed, Fight week is finally here! #ufc312 #stillknocks," Du Plessis said on X after arriving in Australia last week.

Dricus du Plessis made history when he dethroned Strickland to become the new UFC Middleweight champion and the first South African UFC champion after a gruelling five-round fight in Canada in January last year.

Du Plessis then defended his middleweight title against Adesanya in August. The South African beat Adesanya with a clinical submission after the outcome of the fight was on a knife-edge.

There was speculation that this weekend's fight would be in South Africa, with Cape Town and Johannesburg put forward as possible venues. However, it appears that UFC boss Dana White and his team could not secure a sufficiently large venue with a roof to host the event.

But Sydney is still a much more time friendly than the United States for South Africans who want to watch the fight on Sunday morning. The main fight card will start at about 5am, with Du Plessis and Strickland walking to the octagon at about 8am SA time.

@JohnGoliath82