{"id":50083,"date":"2024-01-25T11:34:29","date_gmt":"2024-01-25T09:34:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/leaving-mark-in-history-20240125-3\/"},"modified":"2025-03-21T09:46:53","modified_gmt":"2025-03-21T07:46:53","slug":"leaving-mark-in-history-20240125-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/leaving-mark-in-history-20240125-3\/","title":{"rendered":"Dricus, the Goldfields&#8217; hero"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>In an incredible five-round main event, Dricus \u201cStillknocks\u201d du Plessis (30), once a learner of the Naudeville Primary School in Welkom, became South Africa\u2019s first-ever Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight champion. After a hard-fought battle, Du Plessis emerged victorious with a split-decision win over Sean Strickland at the UFC 297 event held at the Scotiabank Arena in Ontario, Canada, on Sunday morning, 21 January. 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