"Zero respect” - Fans slam Dricus du Plessis’ former opponent for controversial four-second KO to break promotional record

Dricus du Plessis cut his teeth in mixed martial arts in Africa's biggest MMA promotion, the Extreme Fighting Championship (EFC), founded in South Africa. 'Stillknocks' competed in the EFC from 2013 until 2019, during which he shared a heated rivalry with Yannick Bahati.

The pair fought at EFC 62 for the middleweight title after a build-up filled with bad blood, which included Bahati slapping Du Plessis in the face during their final face-off ahead of the bout.

Bahati now competes under the Cage Warriors banner, a British MMA promotion and former home of Conor McGregor, where he recently secured a record-breaking knockout win against Charles Joyner. As the opening bell rang for their light heavyweight bout, 'Black Mamba' extended his hand in what appeared to be a respectful glove-touch.

But he then used the moment to trap his opponent's hand and fire a right hand straight down the line, which connected with Joyner's chin, dropping him with just three seconds having passed.

The referee then stopped the bout, but Bahati's apparent unsportsmanlike conduct drew some fiery reactions from fans.

@FilthyTomLawlor reposted the finish on X, where he took aim at the light heavyweight, writing this:

"Yannick Bahati ASKED for the glove touch, then held his opponent's hand and rifled off a crushing right hand to get a 4 second KO. Totally within the rules. Totally a chump move."

Catch Tom Lawlor's post about Dricus du Plessis' former opponent below:

Another fan reacted with the following:

"Cheapshot. Zero respect"

See more fan reactions below:

Screenshot of fan reactions to Yannick Bahati's KO

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Take a look at Yannick Bahati slapping Dricus du Plessis before their fight at EFC 62

Dricus du Plessis made promotional history against Yannick Bahati at EFC 62 in 2017 after becoming the first-ever two-division EFC champion. He won the middleweight title via submission in Round 1 in a highly anticipated clash.

Their bout was brewing with bad blood as the pair traded personal insults, but one moment in particular sticks out for many fans. During their final face-off ahead of the title fight, 'Black Mamba' slapped Du Plessis in the face after the South African faked that he would throw a strike at Bahati.

'Stillknocks' and his then-opponent were swiftly separated before the situation could escalate. A compilation of their pre-fight antics, as well as the fight's finishing moment, was uploaded to X by @Ocelot_MMA, who wrote this:

"Dricus du Plessis' rivalry with Yannick Bahati."

Check out the video below: