Dricus du Plessis remained humble following his victory, renouncing previous comments made to Adesanya’s family prior to the contest.
Du Plessis defeated Adesanya by submission with just over a minute remaining in the fourth round of their highly anticipated all-African middleweight title bout.
During their post-match conference, the South African insulted the Nigerian and questioned his African heritage.
He stated he is not a true African because he moved to New Zealand as a child, adding that he had a privileged existence and should join the struggle alongside his servants.
Izzy was emotional and answered by saying he does everything for his people. However, he failed to follow through and lost the match.
After the battle, Dricus apologized for his words and lauded his opponent as a warrior, as reported by Sportskeeda.
“For me, [it was an honuor] to share this octagon with a legend, not potentially, but a 100 percent Hall of Famer… [Israel Adesanya] has done so much for the sport,” he said.
“I’m really sorry it came across that I disrespected the fact that he was from Africa. That was never my intention. Now tonight, Africa would have won regardless… It was an honor for me to share this cage with a legend like that. I have the utmost respect for him,” he added.
As seen in a video circulated by MMA Junkie, he and his girlfriend Vasti Spiller met Adesanya’s family and apologised to the parents claiming it was misunderstood.
