"Legend in and out of the octagon" - Fans react to Dricus du Plessis calling out South African government on live interview 

Dricus du Plessis defeated Sean Strickland to capture the middleweight title at UFC 297 in Toronto, Canada, this past weekend. 'Stillknocks' became the first Africa-based fighter to claim UFC gold and South Africa's inaugural titleholder in the world's premier MMA promotion.

Earlier this week, du Plessis hit out at the South African government while speaking to Nina-Marie Daniele on her YouTube channel. The 30-year-old said:

''I would go the worst government of the world by a long shot, I would say our government is as far ahead in being the worst government in the world."

He added:

"We are truly exceptionally s**t at being a government.''

Catch Dricus du Plessis' comments below (8:23):

Fans soon flocked to the clip's comments section to express their thoughts on du Plessis' political take.

One fan praised the middleweight champion and wrote:

''Legend in and out of the octagon!''

Another fan opined that most governments are corrupt, writing:

''Definitely not the most corrupt government. Also most governments are messed up.''

Another fan touched on the racial dynamic in South Africa, saying:

"He didn't really say what needs to be said though. It's clearly a racial issue but he doesn't want to get in trouble for saying it."

Check out some more reactions below:

Screenshots from X

---

Dricus du Plessis thanks Drake for supporting Sean Strickland at UFC 297

The 'Drake Curse' struck again at UFC 297, and Dricus du Plessis played into the narrative.

The Canadian rapper posted on his Instagram story, revealing his attendance at the Toronto pay-per-view card in addition to placing a sizable wager on Sean Strickland to win the main event and retain the middleweight championship. Drake lost a significant amount of money after Strickland lost the belt to du Plessis via split decision.

As he advertised on Instagram for his sponsor, Stake.com, Drake bet a massive $700,000 on the American middleweight to emerge victorious.

Two days after the pay-per-view, du Plessis poked fun at Drake with a snarky social media post referencing the infamous 'Drake Curse'. The newly crowned 185-pound champion wrote on X:

"O snap almost forgot, thanks @drake"