"Bro thinks he’s Ilia"- Fans react as Dricus du Plessis shows off UFC gold to ecstatic South African crowd

During a recent South African rugby game, Dricus du Plessis proudly paraded his UFC middleweight title.

'Stillknocks' etched his name in history as the first South African to secure the 185-pound title, claiming a split decision triumph over Sean Strickland in the main event of UFC 297 in January, and it appears that du Plessis is still savoring the sweet taste of his hard-fought victory.

du Plessis graced the United Rugby Championship clash between the Blue Bulls and Stormers last Saturday at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria, South Africa. Ahead of kickoff, he was welcomed onto the field to interact with the crowd, taking the opportunity to show off his middleweight title to the enthusiastic audience.

Check out Dricus du Plessis' video below:

Fans responded to du Plessis' engagement with the crowd with a myriad of reactions.

One fan wrote:

"Doesn’t get anymore cringe than this."

Another wrote:

"Winning a title by split decision isn’t something to brag about."

Check out some more reactions below:

"Bro thinks he’s Ilia."

"Why’s he carrying around Strickland’s belt?

"Legit forgot he was the champ until right now."

Credits: @mma_orbit on X

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Why did Dricus du Plessis refuse to headline UFC 300 against Israel Adesanya?

Dricus du Plessis recently outlined his decision to pass on headlining UFC 300 against former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya to face him at another momentous event.

Following his win over Sean Strickland at UFC 297, 'Stillknocks' wasted no time in throwing down the gauntlet to Adesanya for his first title defense. Speculation arose that the highly anticipated showdown would headline the historic pay-per-view event slated for April 13 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

However, in an interview on South African radio station Jacaranda FM last month, the reigning champion emphasized that his primary focus at the moment is on recuperating from the injuries sustained during his title bout:

"I think UFC 300 is obviously going to be a milestone event. I think it’s going to be great. I would love to be part of that, but not if it’s going to mean that I’m not going to be fully recovered. Defending my title is much more important to me than being on this milestone event."

He added:

"The real milestone event will be UFC in Africa, and more importantly, South Africa. I can’t even explain to you how long I’ll be willing to wait to make that happen and defend my belt on home soil. That’s history. UFC 300 is just a number. It’s not as massive as UFC Africa."

Check out Dricus du Plessis' comments below (28:25):