Wait, what?! MMA star Dricus du Plessis down on his knees… [VIDEO]

It’s safe to say that South Africa’s mixed martial arts (MMA) champion Dricus “Still Knocks” du Plessis has finally met his match…

The “one-man Springbok team”, who coined the Proudly South African saying of “Hulle weet nie wat ons weet nie” (They don’t what we know), topped off his 31st birthday celebrations on Tuesday night by proposing to girlfriend Vasti Stiller.

Punch-drunk love: MMA star Dricus du Plessis gets engaged

While on stage at his birthday bash, the  Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight champion went down on his knees to pop the big question to his attractive blonde partner – who said yes!

The moment, captured and shared on social media by “South African MMA”, is exactly the kind of feel-good we need. Take a look…

Spoiler alert: She said “yes”!

Who is Vasti Spiller?

Vasti runs her own photography business called Baruch Photography. She specialises in lifestyle, couples, weddings and street photography.

She also published a book, titled The Art of Loving, designed to help young children overcome trauma and the unimaginable atrocities they have been through. 

When Vasti is not snapping away with her camera or writing, she spends her time as a boxing coach at CIT Boxing, a professional boxing gym in Hatfield, Pretoria.

How long has Dricus du Plessis and Vasti Stiller been dating?

The South African fighter’s wife-to be made their relationship public on her Instagram account back in July 2023.

In the delightful video clip posted by the blonde beauty, Vasti and Dricus can be seen working up a sweat in the boxing ring at CIT Boxing.

The post was simply captioned “Unexpected”.

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A post shared by Vasti Spiller (@vasti_spiller)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Vasti Spiller (@vasti_spiller)

Champion of the world: MMA glory for Dricus du Plessis

The two lovebirds have been inseparable since, with Vasti at Dricus’ side in January last year when he manhandled defending champion Sean Strickland in the ring to claim the UFC middleweight title at the Scotiabank Arena, in Toronto, Canada.

Fight to the top: Career timeline

Dricus who hails from Welkom was born on 14 January 1994 and is widely regarded as the best MMA fighter to have ever come from South Africa.

FUN FACT: His brother gave him his nickname “Still Knocks” because it’s a reference to a sleeping tablet that knocks you out.

• Dricus’ “fighting career” kicked off at the tender age of five with judo. This was followed by wrestling at 12 and kickboxing at 14.
• He became the first South African to win a medal at the World Championships when he claimed gold in the K1 style in 2012 when he was just 17.
• The gutsy fighter progressed to MMA, making his professional debut in 2013 after only three amateur MMA fights.
• In no time, he racked up a perfect 4-0 record, which earned him a title shot in the Extreme Fight Championship (EFC) – South Africa’s premier MMA organisation.
• He faced the daunting task of facing MMA legend and then middleweight champion Garreth “Soldierboy” McLellan at EFC33. Victory eluded the then 20-year-old Dricus who lost the fight via a guillotine choke submission in the third round.
• Fast-forward a couple of years and many victories later, Dricus made his UFC debut in October 2020 with a first-round knockout of Brazilian Markus Perez.

The rest, like they say, is history…

NOW READ: OPINION: Dricus, fans still in dark about where UFC champ will next fight