Dricus DuPlessis/ Picture: Instagram
South African middleweight UFC fighter Dricus Du Plessis’ recent defeat has made dealing with a rare Springboks loss a lot more bearable for some citizens, who are holding onto a grudge regarding his stance on the controversial farm murders.
The first half of this year was an interesting time in South Africa, as it saw President Donald Trump falsely accuse the government of playing a part in the alleged targeted discrimination against white Afrikaner farmers.
Despite an overwhelming lack of evidence on this, some notable figures, including Dricus du Plessis, fueled this false narrative incited by Trump and his administration during some important press conferences, leading the rest of the world to believe that there may be some truth to Trump’s claims.
This is where Dricus Du Plessis lost me …This statement was intentionally made in 2020, during the height of the Black Lives Matter movement….He said farm murders are politically motivated and that “people are getting murdered daily” …Anyway, good luck to him at #UFC297 pic.twitter.com/gMymRZjDtt
— Tracksuit (@ThabisoMosia) January 20, 2024
Recently, Dricus faced off with Russian Khamzat Chimaev in their highly anticipated title match. The match was characterised by an unexpected domination from the Russian fighter, who unanimously won the match and maintained his unbeaten record by landing 529 strikes on Dricus.
One would think that this loss to a fellow countryman would incite some somberness, especially considering that it shortly followed a rare and unexpected Springboks loss. However, some citizens have taken to social media to rejoice and celebrate it instead, as they cite holding a grudge against Dricus for his comments regarding the farm murders, as well as pledging his allegiance to Donald Trump.
I’m not unpatriotic & always support our sportsmen & women, whatever colour or creed.
Dricus du Plessis has proven to be unpatriotic. He peddles lies about South Africa for no reason other than blatant racism. I will never support racist liars who sacrifice our country to spread… pic.twitter.com/ERR8s8cJq6
— Rahul SA 🇿🇦 (@Rahul_AJ_1990) August 17, 2025
As South Africans, we are happy that Khamzat Chimaev 🇷🇺 defeated Dricus du Plessis 🇿🇦. We would like to see more of this! pic.twitter.com/jJJcEtcBiF
— ツ Oriana (@Oriana_RSA) August 17, 2025