At UFC 297, the promotion’s first PPV in 2024, Dricus du Plessis became the first South African UFC champion. Kamaru Usman, Francis Ngannou, and Israel Adesanya had already put the African continent on the UFC map, but they didn’t reside on the continent.
‘Stillknocks’ is a resident and even trains out of South Africa. In a few months, the 30-year-old will create another history at UFC 305 in Perth, Australia, as he will look to defend the middleweight title against ‘The Last Stylebender.’
A Landmark Event for African UFC Fighters
Even before he became the UFC champion, du Plessis always revealed his pride in his residence and training camp in South Africa. Moreover, his remarks about being the ‘real African’ rather than Adesanya, Usman, and Ngannou received backlash. Nonetheless, the South African seems excited to share the octagon with Adesanya at UFC 305.
“Two Africans are in the main event of the UFC. That’s history, and it’s amazing—two African-born fighters headlining a massive pay-per-view event. That’s a massive honor for me. And of course, fighting Israel, arguably one of the greatest middleweights ever, I wouldn’t want to defend my title against anybody else,” said the 30-year-old at the UFC 305 press conference in Perth.
Dana White has already revealed that the UFC has plans to hold events on the African continent. With du Plessis as champion, the promotion has someone to get behind. However, the promotion won’t go to locations that do not have the infrastructure to hold UFC events. It is one of the reasons why White is hesitant about going to Hawaii, even with Max Holloway.
Adesanya was born in Nigeria before settling in New Zealand. The former two-time middleweight champion is one of the biggest stars in the UFC. If victorious against Dricus du Plessis, Stylebender will have high-profile fights next. A PPV event in Africa in 2025 will likely be a reality. It would be massive if it were against Alex Pereira for the light heavyweight championship.
Click on ‘Follow Us’ and get notified of the most viral UFC stories via Google! Follow Us
