Du plessis

The South African: Dricus du Plessis retained his middleweight championship crown against his rival Israel Adesanya at UFC 305. The bout lasted four rounds and Dricus won via submission after making Adesanya tap out.

The two African-born fighters have been vocal about their dislike of each other with Adesanya, the two-time middleweight champion, going as far as stating that ‘I’m going to kill your dreams,’ to the champion on the eve of the fight after the South African had insulted Adesanya’s African heritage stating he was the first real African champion. Following the battle, both fighters displayed a classy act of sportsmanship which included the winner apologising to Adesanya.

“To share this octagon with a legend, a 100 per cent hall of famer. This man has done so much for this sport. I’m sorry that it came across that I disrespected him. To share this cage with a legend like that, I have the utmost respect for him, warrior to warrior,” said Du Plessis in the post-bout interview.