Dricus Du Plessis and Cameron Saaiman Flying the South African Flag High at UFC 285

• South Africa's Dricus du Plessis will face Derek Brunson on the preliminary card at UFC 285
• Cameron "MSP" Saaiman will compete in his second UFC bout as he takes on Mana Martinez
• Du Plessis is steadily rising up the Middleweight rankings and wants to bring back UFC gold to Africa

South Africans will be glued to the television screens this weekend as the country’s two brightest mixed martial stars take to the Octagon.

Dricus “Stillknocks” du Plessis and Cameron “MSP” Saaiman will be in action at UFC 285 in Las Vegas.

Du Plessis vs Brunson

Du Plessis will enter the Octagon for the fifth time at UFC 285 when he takes on Derek Brunson on the preliminary card.

FC Nordsjaelland hand talented Ghanaian teen Ibrahim Osman his professional debut

Football

Stillknocks, ranked 10th in the middleweight division, faces Brunson, ranked 5th in the division. Both fighters want to climb the rankings and challenge Alex Perreira for the gold.

Du Plessis is undefeated in the UFC but has lost twice in his career. Brunson has lost eight fights, including a defeat in his last UFC outing against Jarod Cannonier, UFC Stats noted.

Saaiman vs Martinez

MSP, who has only fought once in the UFC, will take on America’s Mana Martinez. Martinez is ranked 51st in the Bantamweight division, Tapology reported, while Saaiman is ranked 69th.

Martinez has won 10 fights and lost three in his professional career, while Saaiman has never tasted defeat in seven outings.

As noted by ESPN, Saaiman has been described as The Future by UFC president Dana White.

Making Africa proud

While both South Africans are looking to continue their undefeated streak in the organisation, du Plessis said that it was much more than that and that they wanted to be the first to bring UFC gold back to Africa.

Zimbabwean star Tino Kadawere makes Real Mallorca history in La Liga

Football

While Francis Ngannou, Kamaru Usman and Israel Adesanya all won gold in the organisation, du Plessis argued that they didn’t live in Africa and never brought the belts back to the continent, something he and Saaiman would be able to do.

Saaiman wants UFC in Africa

Cameron Saaiman would love to see South Africa host a UFC pay-per-view.

The South African MMA fighter made the admission during the post-match press conference after UFC 282.

Saaiman debuted on the card in Las Vegas, stopping Steven Koslow in the third round, winning the fight by TKO, Sports Brief reported.