UFC 312 headliner Dricus du Plessis reveals movie that sparked interest in MMA

Dricus du Plessis was inspired by the 2008 film "Never Back Down" to pursue a fighting career.

Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

From the gym to the TV screen, people from all around the world are introduced to combat sports.

For South African UFC Champion Dricus du Plessis, a certain movie called Never Back Down changed the athlete's future forever.

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Ask other fighters what movies got them to MMA, they'll say Bruce Lee in Enter The Dragon, - du Plessis instead goes with Jake Tyler and the 2008 movie Never Back Down. Tyler, an occasional footballer and brawler, transitions into MMA after getting his butt kicked by a very skilled (and very rich) adversary with all of the MMA know-how.

Dricus Du Plessis during his middleweight title fight with Sean Strickland. / Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

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Du Plessis Dubs 'Never Back Down' As MMA Motivator

The fight film was as 2000's as it gets, the teenagers fighting for Amber Heard, My Chemical Romance on the soundtrack... you know, the works. The 31-year-old du Plessis took a liking to it whenever he was younger.

"I was so into the sport. I watched fight movies and I always tried these submissions. 'Never Back Down' was a movie that came out when I was 14," du Plessis said on MightyCast.

"That was the movie that motivated me to become a professional fighter. I was like, this is the coolest thing ever. The guy is beating up his enemy, he's getting the hot girl. This is it... I wanna do this. That sparked a phase and it just never went away."

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Dricus du Plessis doesn't fight for the hot girl, rather the coveted UFC Middleweight Championship this weekend against Sean Strickland. Du Plessis rematches Strickland in the UFC 312 headliner, more than a year after defeating the American by split decision at UFC 297.

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