Dricus du Plessis divides internet with "TRUMP PREFERS CHAMPIONS" T-shirt before UFC 312: "Mental warfare is crazy," "Supports a genocidal maniac"

Dricus du Plessis has stirred up a heated debate among MMA fans worldwide after wearing a Donald Trump T-shirt ahead of UFC 312. Some praised du Plessis for his pre-fight antics, while others slammed the South African for backing Trump.

'Stillknocks' is set to make his second middleweight title defense against Sean Strickland in a rematch at UFC 312 this weekend. The pay-per-view will take place at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia. The reigning champion poked fun at Strickland by showing up at media day donning a Trump-related T-shirt that read:

''TRUMP PREFERS CHAMPIONS''

Check out Dricus du Plessis' shirt below:

When asked by the media about the reasoning behind his choice of attire, du Plessis heaped praise on the newly elected President of the United States. Fans soon rushed to the comments section to share their reactions.

One fan speculated that du Plessis wore the shirt as a reminder that he took the belt off Strickland, writing:

''DDP mental warfare is crazy''

Another fan chastised the South African, writing:

''Dricus openly supports a genocidal maniac who wants to commit ethnic cleansing in Gaza to build some resorts. I would like our government to do the same as Trump and remove all of the wytes and relocate them in other countries. Lets see if he supports that''

Considering how polarizing Trump is, the rest of the reactions were a mixed bag:

''Yes he does! Awesome Dricus! We Need A Trump!''

''No sportsperson in the history of South African sport has ever disrespected our country like Dricus. @PresidencyZA He is a a disgrace to brand SA. He reposted that infamous Roets/Trump post. His T shirt says it all! He is no patriot! Uses our flag and Springboks for credibility.''

Check out more reactions below:

Fan reactions [Screenshots courtesy: @full_send_mma on X]

The South African champion put on a stellar performance in his first title defense at UFC 305, where he submitted former champion Israel Adesanya via a rear-naked choke in the fourth round, becoming the first fighter to defeat Adesanya via submission.

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Dricus du Plessis is pleased with Donald Trump's work

Dricus du Plessis recently showed his support for Donald Trump by donning a T-shirt during his appearance on the UFC 312 media day. In addition to praising Elon Musk, du Plessis conveyed his love for the U.S. president, saying:

''I think he's an amazing, amazing president, and I've had the privilege of meeting him... Obviously, being a champion, he said he wants champions in his team and he said it on X. Big shoutout to fellow South African Elon Musk for also doing the right thing. Like I said, Trump prefers champions."

Check out Dricus du Plessis' comments about Donald Trump below (0:13):