“This is my assistant coach,” says Morne Visser, the coach of UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis, while pointing to a rather large stun gun in a video on social media.
Visser uses the taser to shock Du Plessis and all the other mixed martial arts athletes he coaches “when they make mistakes”.
“If they f*** up, I help them fix the problem,” Visser said with a straight face in the video.
“This is fixing the problem ... not being on his toes, not picking up his hands, not kicking when he needs to. I’ll fix him here.”
In the video Du Plessis rather sarcastically says it’s a very cool mental note! “Works a lot better than a sticky-note, I can tell you that,” he joked.
Du Plessis will defend his title against bitter rival Israel Adesanya at UFC 305 on Sunday after becoming the first South African world champion at UFC 297 when he beat Sean Strickland in Toronto in January.
Du Plessis defended Visser’s methods at a press conference in Perth, Australia where the fight will take place. Apparently, the shock treatment is not such a new thing.
Dricus Du Plessis’ coach has been using a TAZER to discipline him during his fight camp for Israel Adesanya⚡️😳#UFC305 #MMA #UFC pic.twitter.com/3Dnq87ymSH
— MMA Casuals (@MMA_CASUALS_) August 11, 2024
“Everybody thought that was something new for this camp, but it’s been part of the team for two-and-a-half plus years, 100% … We never filmed it; I don’t know why, well I can see now probably why,” Du Plessis joked.
“Coach used to leg kick us, and he has very strong leg kick, if you made mistakes continuously after he’s warned you a couple of times.
“That makes training difficult for a couple of days. So the taser is much better than that, because the taser hurts a lot more in the moment but it’s over quickly.”
However, Du Plessis says Visser gives him and the other fighters enough time to respond to his commands and repeated warnings before going to work with the stun gun.
“He warns you ... let’s call it the South African sticky-note. He’ll tell you ‘Your hand’s not high enough, it’s not covering your face’ or whatever it may be, and he’ll warn you, and warn you again.
“And the third time – on your stomach. Taser, right on the foot. It’s a great reminder.”
IOL Sport