UFC 319 headliner Dricus du Plessis hasn't lost since 2018 rematch with MMA rival

Originally posted on MMA on SI | By Drew Beaupre | Last updated Aug 13, 2025 4:35 PM ET

(KSW)

Fight fans still haven’t seen Dricus du Plessis lose inside the Octagon, and the UFC middleweight champion has now won 11-straight fights since suffering his last setback.

Following successful title defenses against former middleweight titleholders Israel Adesanya and Sean Strickland, du Plessis will try to defend his 185 lbs. belt for the third time this weekend when he takes on undefeated challenger Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319.

“Stillknocks” has been consistently underrated by many fans throughout his UFC run, but the South African hasn’t lost a fight since he and Roberto Soldić met in an immediate rematch for the KSW welterweight belt in 2018.

Dricus Du Plessis Was Stopped In Roberto Soldić Rematch

The first of du Plessis’ two professional losses came to future UFC fighter Garreth McLellan in an EFC title bout in 2014. After being submitted in that outing, the 31-year-old rebounded with six-straight victories and claimed both the EFC welterweight and middleweight titles.

After winning the EFC middleweight belt in 2017, du Plessis made his KSW debut the following year and stopped Soldić with strikes to win the promotion’s welterweight belt and also earn himself a “Performance of the Night” bonus.

Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

The result ended a seven-fight win streak for Soldić after he’d upset Borys Mańkowski to claim KSW gold in his own promotional debut just four months earlier. “Robocop” was booked into an immediate rematch with du Plessis at KSW 45, where Soldić reclaimed his belt and avenged his previous loss with a third-round stoppage.

"Stillknocks" Seeks 12th-Straight Win At UFC 319

Du Plessis’ final KSW appearance saw him defeat Joilton Lutterbach before he returned home to South Africa to submit Brendan Lesar at EFC Worldwide 83, and in 2021 he arrived in the UFC with a “Performance of the Night”-winning stoppage against Trevin Giles at UFC 264.

A five-fight run of UFC wins capped off by an upset-victory over former UFC titleholder Robert Whittaker earned du Plessis a title shot at UFC 297, where the South African unseated reigning titleholder Strickland via split decision to claim the UFC middleweight belt before he submitted Adesanya and then bested Strickland once again at UFC 312.

(ONE Championship)

Soldić’s win over du Plessis kicked off what eventually became a seven-fight win streak in KSW. “Robocop” defended his welterweight belt twice during that period and also claimed the promotion’s middleweight strap in 2021 before joining ONE Championship, where the Croatian has gone 1-1 with an additional No Contest that came in his promotional debut in 2022.