So I woke up this morning and saw like ten million notifications about Dricus du Plessis’ birthday trending. Figured hey, why not dive into planning something proper? Got my coffee brewing and started digging.
Starting the Research Grind
Grabbed my laptop, fired up Google and just typed in “Dricus du Plessis birthday.” Took forever scrolling through trash results – fan pages repeating nonsense, clickbait articles, outdated stuff from years back. Finally found legit sources buried on page three. Clicked every single link like a maniac until I hit gold: official public records.
Key findings:
- Dude was born in Hatfield, Pretoria on January 14, 1994
- Exactly 30 years old turning 31 in January
- His height came right up in fight stats – 6’1″ in bare feet
- Reach is wild for his build at 76 inches
Building the Celebration Blueprint
Took my dog-eared notebook and started sketching ideas. First draft looked like garbage – crossed out half the page immediately. Decided South African braai vibes would hit right ‘cause his heritage. Listed all possible venues near Pretoria that had outdoor space AND privacy. Called up my buddy Tsepho who does event setups for pro athletes.
Action steps:
- Texted Dricus’ management contact to float the concept
- Went crazy on Pinterest saving decor inspo (animal print napkins, protea centerpieces)
- Haggled with butcher for premium cuts – almost fought over boerewos prices
- Made Spotify playlist mixing Amapiano and fight walkout songs
Almost rage-quit when potential guest list exploded past 80 people. Trimmed that down by limiting plus-ones.
Execution Day Chaos
Showtime! Venue staff flaked at last minute. Ended up stacking meat on braai myself getting ash in my eyes. Forgot the freaking candles for the cake until VIPs were arriving. Someone spilled mampoer on my good camera, had to use phone for birthday snapshots.
Highlights that saved our asses:
- Dricus showed up early actually helped set up chairs
- His reaction seeing childhood friends we secretly flew in? Priceless
- Midnight toast with everyone chanting “Stillknocks!” made him proper chuffed
Aftermath Data Unpack
Next morning while nursing hangover, tallied everything. Spent way over budget on lamb chops but man, worth it. Crunched numbers on his age stats too – turns out 75% champions in his division peaked around 30-33. Sent him our findings with note: “2025’s your Everest brother.” Got voice memo back of him laughing saying we nailed it.
Final tally? Best UFC birthday bash I’ve thrown, even with that damn cake fire incident. Lesson: always keep fire extinguisher next to thirty-one sparkler candles.
