Its not often that a haircut can be attributed to a world champion win, but that is exactly what happened when I gave Dricus Du Plessis a haircut before his fight in Toronto for UFC 297.
Dricus Du Plessis is the first African UFC champion who resides in Africa and is now ranked as the #1 middle weight fighter in the ultimate fighting championship.
Dricus Du Plessis and I had a great conversation during his visit. When I put on the Ferreira Signature Line Cape before cutting his hair, he immediately recognized that the name was Portuguese. I explained to him that it was the name of our hair brand, which he also used to style his hair before the fight.
I shared with Dricus Du Plessis that my father is Portuguese and was born in Mozambique, a neighboring country to South Africa, even though I’ve never been there, Dricus Du Plessis filled me in on some history and experiences, as he’s been their multiple times. It was cool to hear his story and realize the common ground we had, especially having this conversation in Canada right before his title fight.
After cutting his hair I gave Dricus Du Plessis a box filled with Fade Room and Ferreira Signature Line hair products and wrote a note saying, “the next time I cut your hair, you will be champ.” His response? “This is sick!”
Although I have cut hair for many professional fighters throughout my career, this was the first time I had got to cut someone’s hair for the UFC belt. The best part of the experience was knowing that Dricus Du Plessis was the underdog. Felt like this was his chance not only to become champion but also prove to everyone that he deserved it.
The odds were against Dricus Du Plessis for this fight against Sean Strickland. As Sean Strickland was the fan favorite for the title fight that night I was intrigued with how mentally calm he was while I cut his hair. I had this feeling that he was going to win. It was an amazing experience to cut the hair of a champion before he became the new middle weight UFC champion of the world.
Congratulations to Dricus Du Plessis on his victory. I am proud to have been the barber who cut DDP's hair before he conquered the UFC middleweight belt. Just like how note said "You will be Champ" It felt like we manifested that moment.
