Dricus du Plessis submitted Israel Adesanya in the fourth round of a captivating contest to retain his middleweight title at UFC 305 in Perth, Australia.
The South African, 30, rocked Nigeria-born New Zealander Adesanya with a right hook before dragging him down and securing a rear-naked choke.
Following the contest, Du Plessis paid tribute to Adesanya as the pair settled their differences after a heated build-up.
“To share this octagon with a legend… this man has done so much for this sport and I’m really sorry it came across that I disrespected he was from Africa – it was never my intention. Tonight Africa won regardless,” said Du Plessis.
“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.”
The contest saw a bitter build-up after 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.
Du Plessis, who joined the UFC in 2020, won the title off Sean Strickland in January and was making the first defence of his belt.
Former UFC middleweight champion Adesanya, meanwhile, was fighting for the first time in 11 months after taking a break from the sport, citing mental and physical fatigue after contesting five title bouts in 16 months.
The pair appeared relaxed on their way to the octagon as Adesanya briskly danced his way into the RAC arena.
Du Plessis, meanwhile, was walked out by Springbok greats Eben Etzebeth and Siya Kolisi, with South Africa beating Australia 30-12 in Perth the previous day.
The first round saw both fighters find success 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 utilised his wrestling in the second round, taking 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 being the highlight of an array of strikes.
But the South African would have the final say and wobbled Adesanya twice with a pair of hooks in the fourth round, before finishing the contest on the ground.
