Chael Sonnen knows a breakout star when he sees one, and for him, Dricus Du Plessis is the fighter of the year. In classic Sonnen fashion, he laid it out simply – a breakout fighter’s Instagram following multiplies by almost a 100,000, turns from being unknown to getting mobbed for photos, and headlines pay-per-views after many free prelims. That’s exactly the kind of rise Du Plessis has had.
After a massive year that saw him claim UFC gold, the South African fighter has cemented himself as one of the hottest names in the sport – and Sonnen has endorsed this viewpoint. During a recent episode of ‘Good Guy / Bad Guy’, Sonnen and Cormier were joined by Laura Sanko to go over their end of the year awards. Among the awards was the ‘Breakout Fighter of the Year’.
And Sonnen explained why DDP was the clear winner for him. Sonnen went on to add that in 2024, Du Plessis started off by winning the title against Sean Strickland at UFC 297. He then booked a fight against Israel Adesanya in what was the most heated rivalry of the year according to Sonnen.
Not only did ‘DDP’ secure a win, he did so via a submission ,which put a definite end to the rivalry. Due to these reasons, du Plessis is the breakout star of the year for Sonnen. In a separate interview, Australian MMA star Robert Whittaker also praised du Plessis, with a special mention about his recent win against Adesanya.
Whittaker tips his hat to du Plessis for perfect game plan ‘The Reaper’ has faced both .
