UFC veteran putting Dricus du Plessis in ‘Top 5 African fighters’ list has fans in shock

UFC star Dricus Du Plessis tops the list of 'Top 5 African Fighters in UFC History. It was a list made by Chris Weidman.

UFC veteran putting Dricus du Plessis in ‘Top 5 African fighters’ list has fans in shock

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

UFC 297 is just a few hours away, and the fans have already made their picks for the winner. The UFC middleweight title is at stake in the main event. Sean Strickland and Dricu Du Plessis have done a great job promoting the event. Amidst this, the UFC’s Chris Weidman made his pick for the ‘Top 5 African fighters in UFC history’. However, his list shocked the MMA community on the internet. Here is what happened:

Weidman, Daniel Cormier, and Dominic Cruz made their pick for the top African fighters in UFC history. Weidman picked Dricus Du Plessis, Israel Adesanya, Kamaru Usman, Francis Ngannou, and Sodiq Yusuff as his picks. However, Chris Weidman’s list was in no particular order, and he had simply mentioned the names. Nevertheless, fans got upset and the list went viral on the internet.

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Dricus Du Plessis previously claimed to be the only real African fighter in the UFC. He said this while wanting to become the first residing African UFC champion. This controversial statement drew the scorn of some of the other fighters and ex-champions in the UFC, like Kamaru Usman and Israel Adesanya.

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Kamaru Usman responded to Du Plessis’ statement, addressing his intentions of becoming the only “legitimate” African UFC champion. Meanwhile, Israel Adesanya criticized Du Plessis for trying to discredit “real African” UFC champions. Du Plessis later denied making the claim, stating he never said he was “more African” than Adesanya or Usman.

UFC 297 will feature the main event clash between Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis. Strickland will defend his middleweight title for the first time in the much-anticipated matchup after he beat Israel Adesanya to become the champion. They will fight at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Canada.

Fans react to Dricus Du Plessis on ‘Top 5 African fighters’ list

UFC veteran Chris Weidman’s list caught the attention of netizens on social media. Fans went to the comment section to share their opinions and reactions to Weidman’s list.

Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis face off at UFC seasonal Press conference
Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis face off at UFC seasonal Press conference (via YouTube)

Here are some of the reactions from X:

Most fans expressed amusement at Weidman putting Dricus Du Plessis on the list. Others also hilariously asked why Mike Perry did not make the list. Dricus Du Plessis’ performance at UFC 297 does justice to Chris Weidman, who picked him to be on his Top 5 list.

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