"He's getting the hot girl" - Dricus du Plessis recalls movie that inspired him to pursue MMA career ahead of Sean Strickland rematch

Dricus du Plessis recently discussed what motivated him to be a professional mixed martial arts fighter. According to 'Stillknocks', a movie based on MMA convinced him to enter the world of combat sports.

During an appearance on Demetrious Johnson's podcast, du Plessis revealed that in his early days, he would practice moves after watching fight movies, which is when the reigning champion named a specific film released in 2012 called 'Never Back Down', in which the protagonist learns MMA to exact revenge on his bullies.

''I was so into the sport. I watched fight movies and I always tried these submissions, all I know is 'Never Back Down' was a movie that came out when I was 14. That was the movie that motivated me to become a professional MMA fighter. I was like,'This is the coolest thing ever, wow, the guy is beating up his enemy, he's getting the hot girl, this is it, this is what I want, I want to do this.'''

Check out Dricus du Plessis' comments below:

He is set to defend his middleweight title against Sean Strickland in a rematch this weekend at UFC 312. In a recent interview with ESPN MMA, du Plessis highlighted his future goals, which include becoming a double champion. The South African reiterated his wish in the aforementioned conversation with 'Mighty Mouse', saying:

''I'm chasing the legacy of of of the middleweight division, 100% it's my first priority. Would I like to go up and fight for another belt? absolutely but definitely not now I have work to do at middleweight there's too many big fights right now that I have to take care of.'' [58:07]

Check out the full interview below:

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Dricus du Plessis plans to silence his critics

Even though Dricus du Plessis defeated Sean Strickland by split decision at UFC 297, many disagreed with the judges' decision, including UFC CEO Dana White and many fans.

'Stillknocks' is determined to ensure the rematch isn't close and show the world how much better he is. At UFC 312 media day, the 185-pound champion said:

''I’m really happy this fight’s happening because now I can go and say, ‘What are you going to say?’ I’m going to put this to bed. All the stupid fans who believe he won that fight, I can just go out and put this behind me.'' [H/t: MMA Junkie]

Check out Dricus du Plessis' UFC 312 media appearance below: