Dricus du Plessis puts conflict with Israel Adesanya aside to proudly boast ‘African champion’ achievement along

New UFC middleweight champion, Dricus Du Plessis, joins the list to become the fourth UFC champion from Africa.

Dricus du Plessis puts conflict with Israel Adesanya aside to proudly boast ‘African champion’ achievement along

Israel Adesanya and Dricus Du Plessis face off at UFC 290 (Via UFC)

Dricus Du Plessis recently became the new UFC middleweight champion of the world. He beat Sean Strickland and finally fulfilled his goal of joining the list of the African UFC champions.

A few hours back, Dricus Du Plessis shared a post on his Instagram Story. The post from FirstSportz’s MMA page on Instagram had him and the three other UFC champions from the African continent. Du Plessis now joined Israel Adesanya, Francis Ngannou, and Kamaru Usman to officially become the current reigning UFC champion from Africa.

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The debate between Israel Adesanya and Dricus Du Plessis centered around their African heritage. It sparked a heated exchange between the two back in 2023. Du Plessis is a South African UFC middleweight champion, who previously spoke about the importance of becoming the first real champion from Africa.

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Adesanya, who was born in Lagos, Nigeria, was angered when Du Plessis said he wanted to be the first “true African champion.” The two engaged in a cage-side face-off last year. At UFC 290, Adesanya criticized Du Plessis for “playing the victim.” The duo were supposed to fight at UFC 293. However, Du Plessis had to pull out of the fight and Strickland took his place.

Related: “You got dropped by a local hibachi chef” – Ian Garry BRUTALLY trolled for calling Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis ‘amateurs’

Dricus Du Plessis beats Sean Strickland at UFC 297

Dricus Du Plessis defeated Sean Strickland via split decision at UFC 297. The fight took place at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Canada. It was a close fight that went the full distance. Two judges scored the fight 49-48 for Du Plessis. Meanwhile, the third judge scored it 49-48 for Strickland.

Dricus Du Plessis earns a split decision win over Sean Strickland in UFC 297
Dricus Du Plessis earns a split decision win over Sean Strickland in UFC 297 (The Citizen)

Both fighters suffered injuries during the fight. Strickland suffered a cut around his left eye, which he claimed was by a headbutt that Du Plessis denied. Meanwhile, Du Plessis suffered a gruesome eye injury that bulged over. Strickland also had bad cuts on the left side of his face. Additionally, Du Plessis came to the post-fight news conference on crutches and with two swollen eyes.

This now puts Du Plessis in line for his first UFC title defense. Reportedly, a rematch between Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis will not happen anytime soon. It will be interesting to see who the African champion fights next.

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