Dricus Du Plessis' coach comically grabbing the fighter's crotch irks fellow middleweight Paulo Costa

Paulo Costa was confused by Dricus Du Plessis’ coach seemingly grabbing his fighter’s crotch between rounds.

At UFC 290, Du Plessis silenced the doubters by securing a second-round TKO against Robert Whittaker. Although most people were focused on his fighting performance, ‘Stillknocks’ garnered extra attention for a comical interaction with his coach.

Shortly after receiving advice from his coach, Du Plessis stood up and prepared for the next round against Whittaker. The South African fighter’s coach then gave him a pat on the chest and a light squeeze of the crotch.

Once the video circulated on Twitter, Paulo Costa reacted by saying:

“What kind of coach is that?”

Regardless of the jokes made against him, Du Plessis will leave Las Vegas, Nevada, with a smile on his face. After winning his first five UFC fights, including four inside the distance, most fans thought ‘Stillknocks’ wouldn’t defeat Whittaker.

Luckily for him, Du Plessis silenced the doubters again, which should lead to a middleweight title shot in his next fight. Moments after getting his hand raised, the 29-year-old came face-to-face with the reigning 185-pound champion Israel Adesanya, leading to a somewhat awkward interaction inside the octagon.

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Conor McGregor shouts out South Africa after wins from Dricus Du Plessis and Cameron Saaiman

Dricus Du Plessis wasn’t the only South African fighter to secure a win at UFC 290. During the preliminary portion of the event, Cameron Saaiman extended his promotional record to 3-0 with a first-round TKO against Terrence Mitchell.

Du Plessis and Saaiman have proven that South Africa is officially on the MMA map. Once ‘Stillknocks’ defeated Robert Whittaker, UFC legend Conor McGregor shouted out South Africa on Twitter by saying:

“Huge congrats to South African MMA and South Africa, period! That is an incredible win for them inside the UFC’s Octagon! Title fight next for sure! Let’s go S.A”

There is another massive step before Dricus Du Plessis completes his journey to the top of the UFC middleweight division. On September 8, the UFC travels to Syndey, Australia, where Israel Adesanya is expected to headline UFC 293. ‘Stillknocks’ is rumored to be getting his title shot that night, assuming he’s healthy.