Has Dricus du Plessis lost the support of his countrymen following alleged endorsement of Donald Trump? Reports suggest loss of home support

UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis seemingly made a quiet return to his country according to a report by The South African following his victory over Sean Strickland at UFC 312.

The report claimed that, unlike his previous homecoming after his title defense against Israel Adesanya, this time, du Plessis didn't receive a hero’s welcome, possibly due to the backlash surrounding his public support for US President Donald Trump.

Speaking about his support for Trump at the UFC 312 media scrum, du Plessis said:

“I think he's an amazing, amazing president and I've had the privilege of meeting him. With everything going on right now, change is coming, good changes. He will hold a lot of countries accountable for everything. Obviously, being a champion, he said he wants champions in his team and he said it on X. Big shout-out to fellow South African Elon Musk for also doing the right thing. Like I said, Trump prefers champions.”

Check out Dricus du Plessis' comments below:

His comments sparked disapproval from many South Africans, particularly in light of Trump's previous remarks on racial issues in South Africa. Several fans took to X to react to du Plessis' endorsement of Trump writing:

"As someone who was a fan and supporter of @dricusduplessis, I'm disappointed. You endorse Trump attacking your country based on misinformation and propaganda. We all know alot of things are rotten in the country, however, the things Trump is accusing us of at the moment are just a lie. Cmon man."

"Dricus du Plessis bending the knee to Trump and Elon is embarrassing. For an athlete who built his brand on national pride and representing South Africa, this move is incredibly divisive."

"Let us be honest with one thing here, Dricus du Plessis is not representing South Africans, he's representing the racist treasonous group Afriforum & its supporters, that is why he is an Elon Musk and Trump praise singer, while spreading the "white genocide" misinformation."

Check out some of the reactions below:

Dricus du Plessis faces backlash for Donald Trump support. [Screenshots from X]

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Belal Muhammad trashes UFC 312 main event clash between Dricus du Plessis and Sean Strickland

UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad recently dismissed competition in the UFC middleweight division.

Muhammad, who clinched the welterweight title in 2024, expressed that the welterweight division offers greater challenges compared to middleweight. He criticized top contenders and also the champion Dricus du Plessis. Speaking about the middleweight division landscape on Barstool Chicago's The Stretch podcast, Muhammad said:

"I've beaten five Top-10 guys. I'm two fights away from being able to challenge [for the title] at 185 and saying, 'Hey, I want to be double-champ.' I think 185 is probably the easiest weight class [to fight in], besides Khamzat [Chimaev]. Like, if you look at that [UFC 312] main event... Bro, Strickland and du Plessis suck."

Check out Belal Muhammad's comments below: