UFC Champion Dricus du Plessis recently revealed a surprising sparring session from his younger days with former women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko that left a lasting impression.
During an interview with Jacaranda FM, du Plessis recounted his experience sparring with Shevchenko when he was around 19-20 years old. Despite the significant size difference between them, with Shevchenko competing at 125/135 pounds and du Plessis being a middleweight, the encounter proved eye-opening for the young star.
“I’m looking at this lady, I’m still youngster and I thought well how am I supposed to and she kicked me for the first time right in the head and you’re like okay like this is not this is not me taking it easy this is me surviving,” du Plessis recalled.
The South African champion praised Shevchenko’s abilities, calling her “incredible” and noting how quickly the dynamic changed once they started sparring. The experience seems to have given du Plessis a deep respect for Shevchenko’s skills, who he ranks among the top female stars alongside current strawweight champion Zhang Weili.
This is in stark contrast to how Du Plessis spoke about Alexa Grasso.
UFC Middleweight Champion Dricus Du Plessis recently entertained a hypothetical scenario about how many copies of UFC Women’s Flyweight Champion Alexa Grasso it would take to defeat him. Acknowledging the significant weight and power difference, Du Plessis humorously estimated that while one Grasso wouldn’t stand a chance due to the 70-pound weight disparity, a swarm of 15 could make things “interesting” with their combined movement and striking.
However, he conceded it might take 25-30 Alexas attacking simultaneously to overwhelm him through sheer volume, though he found even that far-fetched. Du Plessis emphasized his respect for Grasso and female UFC stars, framing the discussion as lighthearted and purely hypothetical.
