Derek Brunson vs Dricus Du Plessis

Mar 5, 2023 · ESPN+

DateMar 5, 2023

DivisionMiddleweight

StatusScheduled

VenueT-Mobile Arena

BroadcastESPN+

Start times & how to watch

Start time & how to watch

Main card starts Sunday, March 5, 2023 — watch on ESPN+.

US East (ET): Sun 9:00 PM
US West (PT): Sun 6:00 PM
United Kingdom: Mon 2:00 AM
Central Europe: Mon 3:00 AM
Australia (Sydney): Mon 1:00 PM
Your time

Derek BrunsonBlonde |24-9-0Derek Brunson vs Dricus Du PlessisDricus Du PlessisStillknocks |24-3-0

Derek BrunsonBlonde24-9-0

Fight Overview

RoundTBD

TimeTBD

24-9-0Record24-3-0

42Age32

6'1"Height6'0"

77,0"Reach76″

186 lbsWeight185 lbs

MiddleweightWeight ClassMiddleweight

Dricus Du PlessisStillknocks24-3-0

Combat Edge Intelligence

Fight Intelligence

Dricus Du Plessis owns a 106-point Elo edge (elite). Derek Brunson shows more surface-level statistical edges across the tracked UFC categories. 3 shared opponents give extra context.

Compare Derek Brunson and Dricus Du Plessis across their careers →

Elo Recent career Elo trajectory

Recent three-year Elo paths for both fighters. Ratings shown here are current career context; the event-specific prediction or verified result remains on this Fight page.

Derek BrunsonDricus Du Plessis

Recent form

Derek BrunsonW L L W W · +15 Elo last 5

WLLWW

Dricus Du PlessisW L W W W · +43 Elo last 5

WLWWW

Elo edge

Derek Brunson1756+12 last move

Dricus Du Plessis1862+11 last move

Why they are ranked here

Derek BrunsonNot on the active ladder · 1756 Elo

Biggest gain: Beat Edmen Shahbazyan (rated 1742 at the time): +20.
Costliest loss: Lost to Jared Cannonier (rated 1683 at the time): -18.
Last 5 fights: 3 wins, 2 losses, +15 Elo in total.
Inactivity: Placed on 1707, not 1756: 49 points are held back after more than 18 months without a fight, until the next one.

Dricus Du Plessis#1 of 254 active Middleweight fighters · 1862 Elo

Biggest gain: Beat Trevin Giles (rated 1734 at the time): +19.
Costliest loss: Lost to Khamzat Chimaev (rated 1825 at the time): -13.
Last 5 fights: 4 wins, 1 loss, +43 Elo in total.
Next places: 26 ahead of #2 Michael Page.

Every rated fight moves a rating by an amount set by the opponent's rating at the time, the result and how it ended. Places are counted among fighters active in the last 24 months. How the rating is calculated

Fight intelligence

Model forecast and your pick

Inspect the model’s probability and Elo baseline, then make your own call before the card starts.

What's at stake

Derek BrunsonNow 1756

Wins by decision+16→ 1772

Loses by decision-8→ 1748

Dricus Du PlessisNow 1862 · #1 Middleweight

Wins by decision+8→ 1870

Loses by decision-16→ 1846

What-if simulatorPremium

Pick the winner and how the fight ends to see both new ratings, both new division ranks, and who each fighter would pass.

The simulator is part of Combat Edge Premium, with zero ads, 30 Ask Stats questions a month and CSV exports.

Go Premium to run it

Projected with the same rules as the rankings, at today's ratings. Split decisions move ratings less and finishes more.

Stat advantages

Derek BrunsonvsDricus Du Plessis

Takedown accuracy

33%vs5%

Takedown defense

86%vs35%

Sig. strikes landed per min

3.51vs5.18

Sig. strikes absorbed per min

3.05vs4.33

Finishing profile

Derek BrunsonKO/TKO leads 50% of wins

Dricus Du Plessissubmission leads 46% of wins

Common opponents

Israel Adesanya Derek Brunson: loss · TKO (Knees and Punches) · Nov 3, 2018 Dricus Du Plessis: win · Submission (face crank) · Aug 17, 2024

Robert Whittaker Derek Brunson: loss · TKO (Head Kick and Punches) · Nov 26, 2016 Dricus Du Plessis: win · TKO (punches) · Jul 8, 2023

Darren TillDerek Brunson: win · Submission (Rear Naked Choke) · Sep 4, 2021Dricus Du Plessis: win · Submission (face crank) · Dec 10, 2022

Tale of the tape

Derek BrunsonDricus Du Plessis

Tracked UFC statistics may not cover a fighter's full career. Unavailable measurements are not zero.

3.51Sig. strikes landed per min5.18

UFC middleweight average : 3.94

47Sig. strike accuracy49

UFC middleweight average : 48%

3.05Sig. strikes absorbed per min4.33

UFC middleweight average : 3.82

51Sig. strike defense53

UFC middleweight average : 52%

3.14Takedown average2.22

UFC middleweight average : 1.62

33Takedown accuracy5

UFC middleweight average : 30%

86Takedown defense35

UFC middleweight average : 59%

0.61Submission average0.71

UFC middleweight average : 0.68

12Wins by knockout9

4Wins by submission11

8Wins by decision4

7Losses by knockout1

0Losses by submission1

2Losses by decision1

Derek Brunson vs Dricus Du Plessis is a scheduled Middleweight fight on UFC 285 : JONES VS GANE. Derek Brunson enters with a 24-9-0 record and Dricus Du Plessis enters with a 24-3-0 record. Combat Edge tracks the matchup preview, UFC stats, Elo edge, shared opponents, event date, venue, and full fight card.