"Don't tell me how to fight" - Dricus du Plessis fires back at critics, addresses whether he’s finally earning respect in MMA

To describe Dricus du Plessis' fighting style as "unorthodox" might be an understatement. While we've seen many UFC fighters with unusual techniques make it big in the sport, none has achieved as great heights as 'Stillknocks'.

Nearly every striking coach in the world would say that du Plessis' brawling style, which involves swinging his arms around as he stumbles forward, will not work. Still, the UFC middleweight champion has beaten the best fighters in the world with it.

In an interview with Ariel Helwani, Dricus du Plessis addressed the criticisms pointed at his fighting style and whether he feels he's earned respect in MMA:

"Yeah, I mean, respect is something that I do here, and that's the only thing that I've ever felt. I don't hear people say I suck, I've never heard criticism. I've taken criticism from the right people, I will take criticism.

"But when the media talks about [my] fighting not being good, I always say to myself, 'What on earth do you know about fighting? You're sitting behind your computer. So you don't know anything about fighting. So don't tell me how to fight. I'm in the UFC, you're in media.'"

While his peculiar striking style is something most people dismiss as ineffective, du Plessis has been using it even before he was in the UFC or MMA in general. The South African champion has had a lengthy amateur kickboxing career, amassing a 33-0 record with 30 knockouts.

Listen to Dricus du Plessis' full statement here:

---

Dricus du Plessis looking beyond monumental win at UFC 312

With his win over Sean Strickland at UFC 312, Dricus du Plessis tied former champion Chris Weidman for the third longest winning streak in UFC middlweight history with nine. The only two men in front of him would be MMA all-time great Anderson Silva and former two-time champ Israel Adesanya.

However, the brawny South African is not quite satisfied with just this record. It seems he wants to break more records in his division and beyond, telling Ariel Helwani:

"I'm not celebrating having the 3rd longest winning streak at middleweight. Absolutely not. I am number one, and that's what I'm going for...I never doubted myself for one single day... I knew I had big shoes to fill. You know, Anderson Silva is one of my heroes in all sports. I am not oblivious to the fact that how big these shoes are... That's what I'm after and that's what I'm going for, the legacy of being the greatest to ever do this."

Listen to his comments here: