How Training with Dricus Du Plessis Prepared Mark Hulme for Oktagon 67

J.L. KirvenFeb 21, 2025


Mark Hulme is a bonafide submission specialist, but the South African welterweight never believed he could bang with the best. That all changed when Hulme joined Team CIT and started training with Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis.

Hulme spars Du Plessis often and was instrumental to his UFC 312 camp for Sean Strickland. Hulme wasn’t surprised the champ defended his belt in dominant fashion. And despite fan’s criticism for Du Plessis’ unorthodox style, Hulme says that observers have only seen a glimpse of the UFC middleweight kingpin’s true skillset.

“The DDP you see in the cage is only about 50 to 70 percent of the DDP in the gym,” Hulme told Sherdog.com. “His technique is actually really f****** good and if there’s anything I’ve learned from him it’s to protect myself.”

While training with a champion can be a painful experience, the struggle isn’t for nothing. Hulme will have his chance to show the world how far he’s come as a striker when he makes his Oktagon MMA debut Saturday against former UFC veteran Andreas Michaildis at Oktagon 67 at Werk Arena in Trinec, Czech Republic.

Hulme vs. Michaildis takes place in the first round of the €1 million Tipsport Gamechanger middleweight tournament. Despite losing his last two fights, Michaildis is no pushover. “The Spartan” has eight knockouts on his ledger and once shared the cage with reigning UFC light heavyweight champ Alex Pereira. It’s definitely a clash of styles for Hulme, who has never finished an opponent with strikes.

“I fu*king need that knockout,” Hulme proclaimed. “I think that’s why people skim over me just because I haven’t clobbered somebody’s head in, but I do have the skill to do it. I always come out like a raging bull, but I’ve dedicated so much of my life to grappling. When you’re fighting for your life and sh*t hits the fan, I gravitate the fight towards grappling because 90 percent of the time I have the upper hand. My striking is something that I haven’t believed in for a long time, but it’s something that I’m looking forward to leaning on in this fight.”

Hulme has been a pro since 2014 and outside a stint on “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 32, this opportunity is the biggest in the 30-year-old’s career. Before joining Team CIT, Hulme couldn’t have fathomed a moment like this.

“Before I joined Team CIT I was somewhat of a journeyman,” Hulme shared. “I didn’t have a home, I didn’t have people but now I’ve got a family. Watching DDP destroy Strickland two weeks before my own fight gave me all the confidence in the world. I train with that man every single day of my life and he defended his title of being the best middleweight in the world. And he made it look easy. Getting those rounds with him gives me the confidence that I can go out an do incredible things myself.”