Dricus Du Plessis Channels His Inner Nate Diaz to Call Out Francis Ngannou After UFC Oklahoma

Dricus Du Plessis issued a hilarious call-out to the third and final "African King," Francis Ngannou, after UFC Oklahoma victory.

Dricus Du Plessis Channels His Inner Nate Diaz to Call Out Francis Ngannou After UFC Oklahoma

Dricus Du Plessis hilariously calls out Francis Ngannou (via Bloody Elbow, MMA Fighting)

Dricus Du Plessis has become one of the most stylistically dominant fighters in the UFC middleweight division with his relentless pressure and physicality. The South African star reinforced that reputation by defeating former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman at UFC Oklahoma City.

After the victory, Du Plessis celebrated his win and hilariously called out former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou. Du Plessis dominated Usman at UFC Oklahoma City, defeating the Nigerian superstar by unanimous decision.

The former 185lbs champion controlled the five-round fight with relentless pressure, physicality, and effective striking. Du Plessis repeatedly hurt Usman, defended his wrestling attempts, and maintained a high pace to secure the victory on the judges’ scorecards.

Du Plessis is well known for his outgoing personality and has often celebrated major victories by enjoying drinks with friends. Following his win over Usman, the former UFC middleweight champion met popular Instagram influencer Jackson O’Doherty during the post-fight celebrations.

Appearing in high spirits, Du Plessis chugged a beer and an espresso martini before hilariously directing a playful callout toward Ngannou.

Francis Ngannou, you’re taking everything I worked for. I wanna fight you.

Interestingly, Du Plessis’ callout of Ngannou was not entirely random given the former UFC heavyweight champion’s African roots. By defeating Usman, Du Plessis added a second former African UFC champion to his resume. He previously submitted Israel Adesanya at UFC 305 to defend his middleweight title.

Ngannou now stands as the last member of the iconic African Kings trio alongside Usman and Adesanya. Between 2021 and 2022, all three simultaneously held UFC titles in their divisions. While Usman and Adesanya have since lost their crowns, ‘The Predator’ remains a defining figure outside the UFC from that historic era.

Du Plessis’ victory over Adesanya at UFC 305 cemented his status as the undisputed middleweight champion. ‘Stillknocks’ effectively became the fourth champion linked to the legendary African group. He later revealed how he was honored to be part of that historic African championship legacy.

Ngannou has been away from the UFC since his highly public split with the promotion and CEO Dana White in 2023. His final promotional fight came at UFC 270, where he defeated Ciryl Gane to defend the heavyweight title. The Cameroonian star later left the promotion after failing to reach a new contract agreement.

Ngannou recently parted ways with the PFL and later competed under the MVP MMA banner, defeating Philipe Lins on its inaugural MMA card. Whether Dricus Du Plessis’ playful callout leads anywhere remains uncertain. It nevertheless added another memorable moment to the South African’s UFC Oklahoma City celebrations.

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Dricus Du Plessis does not want the Sean Strickland trilogy bout handed to him

Dricus Du Plessis enjoyed a successful UFC middleweight title reign after defeating Sean Strickland to win the belt at UFC 297. He later defended the championship by submitting Israel Adesanya at UFC 305. Du Plessis further strengthened his reign by defeating Strickland again at UFC 312.

Du Plessis’ title reign ended at UFC 319 when Khamzat Chimaev captured the middleweight championship by unanimous decision. Chimaev dominated with relentless wrestling, recording 12 takedowns and more than 21 minutes of control time. All three judges scored the fight 50-44, handing DDP his first UFC defeat.

Joe Rogan gets stunned after learning about Dricus Du Plessis's skin chances to beat Khamzat Chimaev
Joe Rogan gets stunned after learning about Dricus Du Plessis’s skin chances to beat Khamzat Chimaev (via X)

Du Plessis entered UFC Oklahoma City looking to prove he remained among the top middleweight contenders after losing his title. He did so by dominating Kamaru Usman over five rounds. Following the win, Du Plessis explained why he is not stuck on receiving an immediate title shot.

Strickland beat Paulo Costa, who was ranked No 10, and then got a title shot again. I’m not begging anyone for the title shot. I will earn my title shot, and I stick by that.

Dricus Du Plessis via UFC on Paramount

Sean Strickland recently regained the UFC middleweight title by defeating Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 328 in one of the biggest upsets in UFC history. However, Dricus Du Plessis remains a key contender after already defeating ‘Tarzan’ twice, including their title fights at UFC 297 and UFC 312.

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