On Sunday, Dricus du Plessis once again united South Africa behind a sporting success story when he impressively defeated Israel Adesanya. The 30-year-old accomplished the feat in front of several passionate Springbok superstars.
Siya Kolisi and Eben Etzebeth accompanied him during a memorable entrance march to the Octagon while the South African national anthem played in the background after the Springboks had defeated the Wallabies just hours earlier.
Numerous other Springbok players watched from the stands, including Ox Nche, Willie le Roux, Cheslin Kolbe, RG Snyman, Frans Malherbe, Handre Pollard, Damian de Allende, Bongi Mbonambi and Jesse Kriel.
Dricus du Plessis was supported by several Springbok stars
Special weekend for South Africa
After the fight, Du Plessis presented Adesanya with his jacket, which is embroidered with a South African flag, and also mentioned former South African President Nelson Mandela following a special UFC event.
“Izzy and I are not going to be friends because we don’t see eye to eye on a personal level, but as warrior to warrior. After spending time with him in the Octagon, you just can’t not respect the man,” Du Plessis said.
“Giving him this jacket was a sign of appreciation, a thank you for this memory. Whether I win or lose, I will give him the jacket as a memory of an all-African main event.
“For me, it means a lot that sport brings people together. That’s what the great Nelson Mandela said: ‘Sport unites people in a way that politics never can’, and that’s a fact. You saw that tonight.”
“I fought one of the best, if not the best, striker of all time in this division, I needed that takedown. At this level it’s hard to keep people down and this man is the master of getting back up,” added Du Plessis.
“I said I was coming here to die for this belt, and I’m still alive now, and that’s just a bonus. And I said I’d come here to take a life if I had to. Thankfully, we didn’t have to do either. Here I am, still champion, baby.”
Adesanya, meanwhile, agreed that Africa was the real winner of the fight.
“I think Africa won tonight and as I said, he will inspire the next generation of African fighters, just like myself, Kamaru Usman and Francis Ngannou inspired him to become African champion,” Adesanya said.
