What Surgery Did Dricus Du Plessis Undergo for His Deviated Septum? UFC Middleweight’s Nose Injury Explained

Dricus Du Plessis is finally getting a title shot. The #1 ranked middleweight had been involved in a bitter feud with then-champion Israel Adesanya last year after he claimed he would be the first “real African champion” in the UFC since none of the other African champions including “Izzy’ actually lived in the continent.

This bad blood was supposed to perfectly set up a UFC 293 bout against Adesanya. However, the South African was forced to turn down the bout due to a foot injury. His replacement, Sean Strickland, of course, shocked the MMA world and defeated ‘Izzy’ on the September 2023 card. As he gears up to face Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 297 on January 20, let us take a look at the surgery he had to correct a deviated septum and how that has affected his performance.

Dricus Du Plessis credits surgery for impressive knockout of Whittaker

Dricus Du Plessis underwent surgery in April 2023 to correct his deviated septum. His coach, Morne Visser revealed in an Instagram post that the condition had seriously impaired his breathing and he was able to get “only 8% oxygen” intake through his nostrils over the past three years. The coach also revealed that the surgery was supposed to take place three years ago but kept getting postponed.

A deviated septum refers to a condition where the cartilage that separates the nostrils is deviated, causing one nasal air passage to be narrower than the other. This condition is associated with various problems, the most common being difficulty in breathing, which undoubtedly would have inhibited ‘DDP’s athletic output. Along with this, other related problems such as sleep apnea, snoring, increased chances of a sinus infection, headaches, and facial pain may result from the condition.

While it is a condition that a person may be born with or get as a result of injury or trauma to the nose, it is unclear which category Du Plessis falls into. However, given that his coach has indicated that he has been suffering from the condition for the past three years, it is most likely ‘DDP’ was not born with a deviated septum, but because of the damage he must have taken while sparring or fighting. And the surgery made an immediate difference in the quality of life for the South African.

And the difference the surgery made was apparent for everyone to see. In his first fight after the surgery. ‘Stillknocks’ knocked out the dangerous veteran Robert Whittaker in the second round of their UFC 290 encounter last year. Talking to reporters after the fight, Du Plessis would credit the surgery for making a huge difference in his performance.

“This made such a difference, I felt incredible out there tonight. I didn’t feel a little bit tired, I felt great and the pace wasn’t low. It was a great pace. I could see my opponents slowing down when I was just starting to get going. I could see in his eyes, in his body language, I just felt invincible in there and it felt great. It made all the difference in the world,” he said in the UFC 290 post-fight press conference. It is for the best that Du Plessis got corrective surgery and can perform at an optimal level. This would be vital since Sean Strickland would be looking to seriously hurt him after the heated feud they have been involved in recently.

Du Plessis and Strickland get personal

Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis were involved in a heated exchange at the UFC 296 pre-fight press conference last year. After ‘Tarzan’ made comments suggesting a romantic relationship between Du Plessis and his coach, ‘DDP’ came out guns blazing. ‘Stillknocks’ promised to beat up Strickland so badly he would forget the violent abuse his father subjected him to. ‘Tarzan’ has spoken about the violence and abuse his alcoholic father put him and his mother through.

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Strickland was visibly upset as he felt ‘Stillknock’s comments crossed the line. It was no surprise, therefore to see the two get into a brawl in the stands at UFC 296. In the video, Strickland can be seen attacking Du Plessis after the latter says something to him. All of this has resulted in genuine bad blood and animosity between the two. This is why their bout is expected to be a fiery affair and has fans excited. Who do you think will walk out the middleweight champion at UFC 297?

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