“You saying in the last year, achieving such a big goal as being UFC champion — there was a stage in my life where making my pro debut meant the exact same thing to me; winning that debut meant the exact same thing to me as winning that UFC title,” continued the middleweight titleholder, who cemented his place atop the division with a fourth-round submission win over two-time champ Israel Adensanya last summer in Perth. “Four years ago, signing with the UFC, getting my shot, and fighting in the UFC was the exact same accomplishment in terms of value, for me, as it was to become the world champion.
“That is the beauty of setting your goals: there is the next step, then there is the next step, then there is the next step. You have to have the small goals, you have to have the medium ones, and those big, big, long-term ones to keep you going, and that’s what has been amazing for me.
How To Watch UFC 312 In Your Country
“I have goals in my life — I have daily goals, weekly goals, monthly goals, yearly goals, and I have the ultimate goals, and it’s an amazing chase.”
Saturday night in Sydney, that chase leads Du Plessis into a familiar, yet different, situation: a second title fight with Strickland, where, this time, the roles are reversed.
