SA UFC champion Dricus du Plessis lands major deal with Newcastle United

SA UFC world champ Dricus du Plessis has scored a knockout deal — landing a massive almost R400m sponsorship with Newcastle United through his Cape Town drinks brand, Knox.

The Welkom-born fighter partnered with friend and entrepreneur Ethan Hughes on the deal, which from July 1 will see Newcastle rename its Darsley Park training base in Gosforth, just outside Newcastle upon Tyne, “The Knox”.

It is a first for Mzansi, with Knox becoming the first SA-founded name to secure naming rights at a Premier League training ground.

"It is kind of a historic moment for us, mate," Hughes, of Australia, told IOL.

"We are the first SA brand to ever sponsor the UFC, and we're the first SA brand to ever sponsor the English Premier League."

The deal includes sleeve sponsorship for the men’s, women’s and academy teams of Newcastle United.

Knox branding will also appear across all levels of the club, from the juniors to the first team.

The hydration drinks brand started two years ago when Du Plessis and Hughes were out having drinks.

The two met through SA’s Extreme Fighting Championship, which Knox was sponsoring to support local MMA fighters.

They were introduced by EFC’s Graham Cartel and "just clicked immediately".

"Dricus actually stayed at my house for a week," Hughes said.

From the start, the two kept it simple, with Du Plessis focusing on fighting and Hughes on building the brand.

Knox went from an idea to Shoprite Checkers shelves in just four months, launching nationwide in early 2024.

It was around the same time Du Plessis faced Israel Adesanya in a UFC middleweight title fight.

In that bout, Du Plessis beat Adesanya by fourth-round submission to defend his UFC middleweight belt for the first time.

By January this year, Knox had signed a sponsorship deal with the UFC.

Then Newcastle United came calling.

Hughes said the club’s ambition and its famously passionate fan base were what sealed the deal for him.

"Their fan base is incredibly loyal," he said.

Neither deal came easy, with both the UFC and Newcastle United putting Knox through a full vetting process before agreeing to the partnerships.

"The UFC nutrition and coaching team put Knox to the test because they wanted to make sure that the product really did what it said it did," Hughes said.

"We were formally endorsed by the nutrition and coaching team for all athletes."

Newcastle United followed the same process, with its performance and nutrition staff checking the product before approving the deal.

Du Plessis's brother Neil has since joined as a director at Knox, making it something of a family business alongside its global ambitions.

Looking ahead, Knox is eyeing 22 new markets over the next 18 months, with a UK retail launch already planned for the next 45 days.

Hughes also confirmed early talks were under way about bringing Newcastle United to SA to face a local side.

He said that could happen as early as 2027.

"It is kind of like a love letter from myself to SA," he said.

"If there is an opportunity for Dricus and I to give back, what better way than bringing the English Premier League to SA shores?"

In response to the sponsorship deal, Newcastle United CEO David Hopkinson said: "They share our relentless drive to disrupt the status quo and reach the pinnacle of our respective industries.