After the UFC signed a historic deal with Reebok in 2015 for its fighter’s apparel, the fighters lost a valuable source of income. No longer were they allowed to put their personal sponsors on their apparel, which led some, such as Vitor Belfort, to allegedly lose seven figures in sponsorship money. However, that doesn’t mean that brands have stopped sponsoring UFC athletes altogether, just that one has to be a star to secure them.

That is exactly the case for reigning middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis, who is emerging as something of a brand favorite because of his historic feat and being a fighter in the truest sense of the word.

Dricus Du Plessis’ sponsors: Ultimate Sports Nutrition, World Sports Betting, and more

Dricus Du Plessis made history by becoming the UFC’s first-ever South African champion in January this year. His legendary strength, chin, and single-minded focus to keep coming forward combined with his discipline, unshakable self-belief, and a true warrior spirit have seen him reach the highest level possible in his sport.

This has also made him quite popular among brands, especially from his home country. Given his status as an elite athlete, it isn’t surprising that ‘Stillknocks’ is a brand ambassador for, ‘Ultimate Sports Nutrition,’ which, as the name suggests, is a sports nutrition company.

Popular South African restaurant chain ‘The Real Hennies’ also supports Du Plessis and even sells a commemorative shirt on their official website to mark ‘Stillknocks’ becoming champion. The fighter is also associated with Banxso, an online trading platform based in his home country.

Online betting company ‘World Sports Betting’ is another South African brand associated with the UFC champ, as is the health program VivifyU, who nominated him for their ‘International Fighter of the Year’ for 2023. While these endorsements may give him a respectable supplementary income, Du Plessis’ main source of income, of course, is his fight purses.

How much has Dricus Du Plessis earned? Net worth and salary

Du Plessis, despite being champion, is a relative newcomer in the UFC, with only seven fights under his belt so far. Like almost all other fighters, Du Plessis started off making less than $20k in show money for his first fight. But given his rapid progress and clear potential, he started making six figures from his fourth fight.

The highest Du Plessis has been paid for a fight is, predictably, his UFC 297 title clash against then-champion Sean Strickland in January 2024. The South African got $300k in show money for the bout, and another $300k in win money after he managed to eke out a split-decision victory over ‘Tarzan.’ It is unknown how much (or even if) he made any PPV points for the event, but if he did, his payout could be substantially higher.

Du Plessis was paid the same amount ($300k in show money and $300k in win bonus) for his UFC 285 in the 2023 clash against Derek Brunson, but there were no PPV points on offer for that fight. But PPV points will definitely be on offer in Du Plessis’ upcoming UFC 305 clash against Israel Adesanya. ‘DDP’ is going into the fight as the champion, and like all champions, will receive PPV points for the card. Not to mention he will get the champion’s minimum show money of at least $500k, with the same amount in win money if he defeats ‘Izzy.’

What are your predictions for UFC 305? Let us know in the comments below.