In the MMA world, every fighter aspires to be at the pinnacle of their division, often undertaking extraordinary measures to achieve their goals. A notable example is former UFC light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka, renowned for his grueling training regimen, including submerging himself in frigid waters, enduring cold-weather runs, remaining in darkness for 72 hours without sustenance, and striking a tree 500 times. Nevertheless, this pales in comparison to the formidable coach, Morne Vissers, who subjected Dricus du Plessis to extreme challenges to address his errors.

Recently, Coach Vissers appeared on the From the Stands podcast, where he addressed the rumors regarding the teaser punishment he allegedly used on fighters. When asked by the host to clarify, Coach Vissers said, “It’s very important to make this very clear: I do not coach girls, I do not coach amateurs, I only coach professional fighters. So nobody drops off their kit, gets kicked in the head, punched in the face, and pays for it, and then I tase them—I don’t get paid for that.”

Du Plessis’ coach further elaborated on the options available to athletes who repeatedly make mistakes at his CIT gym, even after warnings. These options include receiving a painful low kick or being teased. However, the coach also offers an alternative: “If you can tell me what did wrong I won’t these you. A lot of them get away with it, and then they immediately fix the problem. it’s a tough thing.”

Despite being subjected to intense training methods by his coach, Dricus du Plessis remains fully focused on his upcoming fight against Israel Adesanya. Although Adesanya has expressed extremely aggressive intentions towards him, du Plessis has dismissed these claims in a recent press conference.

Dricus du Plessis not taking Adesanya personally

Tension between Israel Adesanya and Dricus du Plessis reached a new peak at today’s press conference when Adesanya broke down in tears after receiving strong criticism from du Plessis. Later, du Plessis emphasized that the upcoming fight is not personal for him, but it’s personal for Adesanya.

“It’s definitely personal for him because he took a lot of offense at what I said for speaking the truth, and he didn’t like it… It was never personal because there’s nothing to be personal about for me. I stated facts, I said what I said, 100% fact,” Du Plessis said.

Previously, both fighters engaged in a social media war, each claiming to be a true African son. Adesanya recently labeled du Plessis as someone who has a “colonial mindset.” While du Plessis was born and raised in South Africa, Adesanya was born in Africa but raised in New Zealand.

During their verbal exchange at the press conference, Adesanya invoked the names of veteran African fighters like Francis Ngannou and Kamaru Usman, referring to them as the true sons of Africa.

With such an intense build-up, the upcoming fight between the two promises to be a cracker. Nevertheless, what are your thoughts on the training methods of Dricus du Plessis’ coach? Let us know in the comments below.