Dricus du Plessis in victory in the UFC. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram/ufc
The images of Dricus Du Plessis receiving electric shocks from his coach to correct mistakes during training sessions have shocked the MMA community in recent days, but, according to the champion, it is just another ordinary training day.
During the media day of the UFC 305, held last Wednesday (14), the middleweight champion (up to 83,9 kg) minimized the controversy and guaranteed that it was not a special method for fighting Israel adesanya, but something routine in training with Morne Visser.
“You don’t become world champion out of nowhere (laughs). Everyone thought it was something new for this camp, but no way. This has been part of our team for two and a half years, but we've never filmed it. I don't know why. Well, now I know. To the rest of the world it seems crazy”, said the South African.
Dricus Du Plessis said that the shock method is, in fact, a less painful alternative to the old punishments applied by coach Visser to correct his pupils' mistakes.
“In the past, the coach kicked our legs. He has very strong leg kicks. If you made the same mistakes over and over again, after he warned you a few times, he would kick you. But that took us out of training. It made training difficult for a few days because the kicks were very strong. The shock is much better, because it hurts more at the time, but it goes away quickly. (…) In fact, we got a better taser now, because we got used to the old one, it no longer had any effect”, said the champion.
Lastly, Dricus Du Plessis defended the coach from criticism and stated that shocks serve as a last alternative after his instructions were not heard by his pupils.
“He doesn’t go around shocking others. He warns you that his hand is not high, or that his foot is not in the right position, that his chin is too high, whatever it may be. He warns you once, warns you again and the third time he tells you to lie down on your stomach and applies the shock to the sole of your foot”, he concluded.
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