Dricus du Plessis makes bold statement on legacy after UFC 312 win against Sean Strickland: "I am number one, and that's what I'm going for"

At UFC 312 over a week ago, Dricus du Plessis etched his name in history by defending his belt a second time against former foe Sean Strickland. In doing so, 'Stillknocks' tied former champ Chris Weidman for the longest winning streak in UFC middleweight history.

The only two men ahead of him on the list are MMA legend Anderson Silva (13) and the man he beat in his first title defense, former divisional king Israel Adesanya (12). With the talent pool the UFC has on its roster today, this feat is quite legendary already.

Dricus du Plessis is not resting on his laurels just yet, however. In an interview with Ariel Helwani, the UFC's first South African champion said:

"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."

He added:

"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 Dricus du Plessis here:

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While Dricus du Plessis received praise for his performance, Sean Strickland faced criticism, mainly from his own coach

The main event of UFC 312 was a tale of two fighters: Dricus du Plessis reaching his full potential and Sean Strickland not reaching his. Both men are known for their awkward striking styles, and it was du Plessis who was able to apply his gameplan perfectly.

Strickland received significant criticism for his supposed timidity and failure to pull the trigger in the fight. These criticisms were further magnified by his strong promise of "dying" for the fans at the pre-fight presser.

However, no other criticism made more circulation than that of Strickland's own coach, Eric Nicksick. In an interview with Ariel Helwani after UFC 312, the Xtreme Couture head coach said:

"I think he needs to evaluate what he wants to do in the sport. If it's just to make money, then that's great. Let us know. I wanna coach world champions so my motivations are different. I think that just to kind of show up and do that and not really back it up, to me, was just kind of uninspiring."

Listen to Nicksick here:

Nicksick eventually admitted that he had "a miscalculation" of judgment by going public with his personal assessment of his fighter's performance. This came on the heels of multiple fighters and coaches criticizing him for his words.