In a surprising turn of events, Dricus Du Plessis defeated former champion Robert Whittaker with a second-round TKO at UFC 290. Du Plessis, known for his unorthodox fighting style, proved to be a formidable opponent for Whittaker.

Despite being the underdog, Du Plessis showcased his resilience and determination throughout the fight. Whittaker started strong in the first round, landing a high kick and pressuring Du Plessis with low kicks. However, Du Plessis quickly countered with a combination and displayed his powerful striking.

In the second round, Du Plessis found his rhythm and delivered a devastating knockout blow to Whittaker. After dropping him with a hard punch, Du Plessis continued to unleash a flurry of strikes until the referee stepped in to stop the fight.

With this impressive victory, Du Plessis solidified himself as a rising star in the middleweight division and put himself in contention for a title shot. UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, who was rooting for Du Plessis to win, praised his performance and expressed his excitement for a potential matchup with him.

UFC 290 delivered an action-packed night of fights, with other notable matchups including Alexander Volkanovski's TKO victory over Yair Rodriguez and Alexandre Pantoja's split decision win against Brandon Moreno for the flyweight title.