There has been a lot of talk about the UFC’s middleweight champion and his unique style.
On Thursday, Dricus du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev faced off at the UFC 319 press conference, which got fans even more excited for fight night.
While Chimaev has a secret weapon of his own that he’s bringing to the table, his opponent has also proven himself to be an incredibly difficult puzzle to solve.
‘Stillknocks’ is not the most aesthetically pleasing fighter but his undefeated run inside the Octagon has forced people to give him credit.
His awkward style has proven to be a huge problem for his opponents, even when they believe that they’re far more refined than he is.
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Ernesto Hoost references his losses to Bob Sapp when breaking down why it’s hard to fight unconventional opponents like Dricus du Plessis
If there’s any fighter out there that is in a good position to talk about flawless technique and the art of striking, it’s ‘Mr. Perfect’.
Four-time K1 world champion Ernesto Hoost was famed for his machine-like execution of combinations during his legendary kickboxing career.
For all of the Dutchman’s incredible accomplishments, he suffered his fair share of setbacks along the way, with there being two in particular that bother him to this day.
In 2002, Hoost collided with Bob Sapp twice, with the American stopping him in the first round on both occasions.
The difference in kickboxing skill between them was seismic but due to his size and the way he fought, Sapp appeared to have his opponent’s number.
In a recent exclusive interview with Bloody Elbow, Hoost was asked, in relation to UFC 319, about fighting unorthodox opponents and what makes this so difficult.
He immediately started to reflect on his two fights with Sapp and how these results still annoy him because despite believing that he is a far better technical fighter than his former rival, he was unable to beat him.
“Of course, I had the Bob Sapp problem. The fight came in the wrong moment when I had problems with my skin still. I know how to cope with it now but in those days, it was not good… Basically, I didn’t want to fight him because I still think he’s not a real fighter, he’s a comedian.
“He did all kinds of awkward things, grabbing me with one hand and then punching me like street fight style and the referee didn’t interfere, and those kinds of things. That was a big frustration.
“It was so frustrating because up until now, I don’t think Bob Sapp is a kickboxer or a good kickboxer and still, I lost to that guy… That will always be something that, a fight with an awkward guy like that. Yeah, it will always be a frustration for me.”
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Joe Rogan compared Dricus du Plessis to Merab Dvalishvili when breaking down UFC 319
While Dricus du Plessis is clearly an elite fighter, there are some parallels to be drawn between how some of his opponents have felt about him and how Ernesto Hoost reflects on his losses to Bob Sapp.
This awkward style that ‘Stillknocks’ has been incredibly effective with means that he doesn’t get the credit he deserves, though this has started to change in recent times.
On a recent episode of the JRE MMA Show, Joe Rogan compared du Plessis to Merab Dvalishvili, speaking with Matt Serra about how du Plessis has certain skillsets that might go under the radar despite how impressive they are.
“He’s a monster, and you know this (Serra) because you work with Merab, there’s guys that reach this level of discipline and they achieve a level of cardio vascular performance that’s just above everybody else’s and then they maintain it,” Rogan stated.
“The amount of hard work is extraordinary to get to that level and I think Dricus is kind of a similar thing, I think that dude works so hard that he can go out and fight full blast.”