Dricus du Plessis apologizes for 'Africa' comment, shows utmost respect to Israel Adesanya after UFC 305 win in a class move

Dricus du Plessis showed incredible class and sportsmanship after defeating fierce rival Israel Adesanya at UFC 305. While both fighters have African roots, du Plessis lives and trains in South Africa while Adesanya has spent most of his life in New Zealand.

When 'Stillknocks' expressed the desire to become the "first" African UFC champion, implying that he would be the first residing champion from the continent, Adesanya took it as an insult to him and other African-born UFC champions.

This ignited a rivalry, which set the duo on a collision course after du Plessis captured the UFC middleweight title. At UFC 305, the South African fighter defeated 'The Last Stylebender' by fourth-round submission to secure the first defense of his title reign.

Following the win, the 30-year-old praised Adesanya for his contribution to the sport and apologized for his comments. He stressed that he never intended to question Adesanya's lineage:

"For me, [it was an honor] 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. 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! But tonight, South Africa was the victor. It was an honor for me to share this cage with a legend like that. I have the utmost respect for him."

Check out Dricus du Plessis' full octagon interview below (3:10):

Du Plessis is currently undefeated in the UFC with a perfect 8-0 record in the promotion. He has beaten three former champions, Robert Whittaker, Sean Strickland, and Adesanya, in his most recent fights.