Does Dricus du Plessis Train in South Africa? Gym, Coach, Teammates, and All We Know About UFC MW’s Camp

Dricus Du Plessis has taken over the world of mixed martial arts with his phenomenal fighting skills and undefeated UFC record. Becoming the UFC middleweight champion by defeating strong fighters like Robert Whittaker and Sean Strickland seemed like a piece of cake for the South African. Such strong records and skills often make fight fans wonder about the training centers for such fighters.

Today, we’ll take a deep dive into Du Plessis’ gym and his coaches. So, without wasting any more time, let’s get right into it!

Where does Dricus Du Plessis train? Gym and coach

Dricus Du Plessis trains in Hatfield, Pretoria, South Africa, and is proud of fighting out of his country and plans to stay there in order to help the sport grow in the country. He trains at CIT Performance Institute, which is located near the University of Pretoria.

CIT Performance Institute hosts some of the best MMA coaches in the entire country. And Morne Visser leads the team as the head coach of CIT. Visser has support from Marino Cutendana, Stephen de la Ray, Jaco Du Plessis, JT Botha, and Lumay vd Waltsleben filling in as MMA coaches.

However, it’s the relationship between the coach and the UFC MW champ that has the fighting community intrigued. The duo have been spotted celebrating their victories with hugs and kisses on multiple occasions. This led Strickland to call Du Plessis out in an X-rated rant at the UFC 2024 Season Press Conference, about ‘Stillknocks’ and his relationship with Vissers. But the champ’s teammate, Cameron Saaiman, in an interview, said, “Well, that’s how we were brought up.”

The team also has Claudia Botha, who is the strength and conditioning coach. Wayne Harrison and Wayne Hulme as the Jiu-Jitsu coaches. Wayne Hulme also trains the young fighters and is the MMA coach for kids.

Dricus Du Plessis has surrounded himself with arguably some of the best coaches in South Africa. But are the rest of his teammates equally good? Let’s find out!

Who are Dricus Du Plessis’ teammates?

For his fight camp, Dricus Du Plessis has taken the help of some of the best fighters in Africa. In an Instagram post, the UFC middleweight champion can be seen taking the help of knockout artist, Diego Bandu and EFC welterweight champion, Mark Hulme.

‘Stillknocks’ is also training with Jaco Du Plessis, who is also another spectacular talent coming out of South Africa. The middleweight champion seems to have left no stone unturned in his fight against Sean Strickland. Leon Mynhardt, Ruan Potts, Cameron Saaiman, and Michiel Opperman are a few other teammates with names well-known in the fighting community.

Fighting out of South Africa, Du Plessis fulfilled his dream of bringing the UFC gold to his homeland. But now, he is all set to face Israel Adesanya in his first title defense at UFC 305. Needless to say, the heat between the two is pretty strong. With their rivalry at its peak, the title fight at UFC 305 is destined to be a bout that the world of mixed martial arts will remember for a long time.

But the question remains. Will Du Plessis’ intensive training with Vissers be enough to ensure a victory against ‘The Last Stylebender’? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.