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.
