Trevin Giles plans fast finish of Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 264, quick turnaround in Houston

LAS VEGAS – Despite his laid-back demeanor and easy-going nature, Trevin Giles feels an added sense of urgency ahead of his fight Saturday.

At UFC 264, Giles (14-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) will battle Dricus Du Plessis (15-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) on the preliminary card – and he hopes to get a quick finish. A Houston police officer, Giles is eager to walk away unscathed so he can get a quick booking for UFC 265 on Aug. 7 in his home city.

“It feels good, just to be able to come out here again on this card,” Giles told MMA Junkie at a pre-fight news conference. “It’s a really good card to be on. To go out there and try to work for that finish. I plan on fighting in Houston next month.”

Before he signs on for any additional fights, however, Giles needs to complete the task in front of him, which is to defeat Du Plessis. The two fighters were originally scheduled to face one another in March before Du Plessis withdrew due to visa issues.

“Last time, I think it was maybe two weeks out or something like that with the opponent switch,” Giles said. “I had already went through the whole camp and all the film watching and everything. Once I saw his name as one of the suggestions for me to fight next, I was like, ‘Yeah, we already did the work.’ Now, we get to put in more hours of film and preparation, right? I should be really sharp for this fight and it should be good.

Du Plessis, 27, made his UFC debut in October when he knocked out former LFA champion Markus Perez in the first round. Prior to his UFC signing, Du Plessis made his mark in KSW where he knocked out Roberto Soldic and Joilton Lutterbach. Despite the South African’s resume, Giles isn’t worried.

“I respect all my (opponents),” Giles said. “Everybody who is going to fight against me, I respect them. They deserve to be there. For him, I don’t think he’s fought anybody accurate like me. I don’t think he’s fought anybody with the speed I have. I’m not sure if he can play a chess match with me or not. I think, on the feet, I’ll have some really good setups for him. It’ll be interesting to see how he reacts.”

UFC 264 takes place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

Check out Giles’s full UFC 264 pre-fight news conference in the video above.