Du Plessis took Israel Adesanya down with a right hook before dragging him down and securing a rear-naked choke. However, there was so much respect between both fighters after the fight as the 30-year-old South African paid tribute to Adesanya as the pair settled their differences after a heated build-up.
Dircus said,
“To share this octagon with a legend, this man has done so much for this sport and I am really sorry it came across that I disrespected he was from Africa. it was never my intention. Tonight Africa won regardless. It was an honour for me to share this cage with a legend like that. I have the utmost respect for him, an ultimate warrior. Believe me, I do not want to be kicked by that man again.”
Before the contest, Du Plessis said he is the “first real African champion”, clarifying that he resides on the continent while former champions Adesanya, Kamaru Usman (both born in Nigeria), and Francis Ngannou, who grew up in Cameroon before relocating to France, had moved elsewhere.
How did the fight between Plessis and Adesanya go?
The first round saw both fighters get to size up themselves with Adesanya avoiding Du Plessis’ blitzes forward and landing a crunching right hook to the body, with the South African responding with leg kicks.
Du Plessis dominated the second round when he used his wrestling abilities to take Adesanya down three times with the two-time champion defending submission attempts well and regaining his feet. The momentum then shifted in Adesanya’s favour as repeated hooks to the body saw Du Plessis start to breathe heavily, with an eye-catching elbow
But the South African would have final say and wobbled Adesanya twice with a pair of hooks in the fourth round, before finishing the contest on the ground.
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