Doricas du Plessis may not care what his UFC opponents or critics think, but what he really cares about is his father's opinion.
The world champion, who made history by becoming the first South African to win the title, thanked his father for his unwavering support.
The Free State-born fighter revealed that his father was firmly involved in the fight, despite his initial opposition.
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Dorikas gets emotional about his father's support.
In an interview with SuperSport Unplugged, Dorica du Plessis expressed his gratitude to his parents, especially his father Japie, for supporting his dreams.
Japie and his wife Gerda du Plessis, along with their two other sons and their respective families, flew to Canada to watch Dolicus win the UFC title.
“I promised my dad I would get the UFC title because that's what we needed,” the 30-year-old said.
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He continued: “I hear your dad is a man who really wants you to be better than he was…and to see what that meant to him and mom…it was an incredible experience. Ta”.
In his Instagram post, Dorikas also reposted photos he took with his father throughout his long martial arts career. His caption read, “Doricus' father was always there.”
“Dad wasn't happy.”
In a separate interview, Dorikas du Plessis recalled how he was initially disappointed that his father chose to fight rather than rugby.
according to code sport, The MMA star said his original dream was to become a Springbok. Blue This almost became a reality as he played for the Bulls as a professional rugby star in his U19 Currie Cup.
As a teenager at the time, he was able to study at the University of Pretoria on a sports scholarship. But Dorikas abandoned his plan at the last minute and started fighting.
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He told the magazine: “My father wasn't happy at all. I was still an amateur and didn't know what to do for money.
“He also had to pay for all my tuition, but I just loved fighting.”
