While sports minister Gayton McKenzie sent his commiserations to Du Plessis for the loss, other South Africans weren’t so sympathetic.
Several South Africans on social media have celebrated Dricus du Plessis’ loss of his Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight title to Russian-Emirati fighter Khamzat Chimaev.
“Dricus’ loss actually made me more pro-South African. He stood for the white genocide (which has been debunked), and he’s also pro-Trump (who should be debunked).
“This is a loss for the good of the country,” wrote comedian Yaaseen Barnes on X (formerly Twitter) after the fight.
Dricus’ loss actually made me more Pro-South African
He stood for the white genocide (which has beeeen debunked), he’s also pro-trump (who should be bunked)
This is a loss for the good of the country.— Yaaseen Barnes (@Ya_a_seen_Him) August 17, 2025
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Due to UFC’s popularity, some of the biggest fights penetrate through pop culture, grabbing the attention of people who don’t usually follow the sport.
“Dricus du Plessis, you made us proud as one of the great champions, and we know you will be back. You faced a tough wrestler today, but you will come back stronger,” said Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie
However, while McKenzie sent his commiserations to Du Plessis for the loss, other South Africans weren’t so sympathetic.
“There is no patriotism with peddlers of fake genocide in SA and racists. Thank you, Khamzat. Free Palestine,” wrote EFF Member of Parliament, Sinawo Thambo.
South Africa rallied behind Du Plessis when he first won the title from Strickland, but during his reign as champion, the South African’s endorsement of US President Donald Trump left a bad taste in the mouths of his fellow citizens.
Where the disdain stems from
In a lead-up to defending his title earlier this year, during a press conference, a journalist asked Du Plessis about a t-shirt he wore, which read ‘Trump prefers champions’ with an X (formerly Twitter) logo.
Remember this one @dricusduplessis? pic.twitter.com/GjanPsJFIB
— Nazier Paulsen (@nazier_paulsen) August 17, 2025
“Obviously, being a champion, he said he wants champions in his team, and he said it on X in a big shout-out to fellow South African Elon Musk for also doing the right thing,” said Du Plessis.
Du Plessis’s comments came a few days after Trump’s baseless claims about land confiscations in South Africa.
Nice @dricusduplessis wearing a Trump shirt, acknowledging President @realDonaldTrump for calling out the South African government.
Dricus’ first fight in the UFC on ESPN, he spoke out about farmer murders on 11 October 2020.
He also gave a shoutout to @elonmusk. Dricus has the… pic.twitter.com/fInn1sqNcS
— Danie Barnard (@DaanBarnard) February 5, 2025
Trump accused the South African government of “confiscating land” and treating “certain classes of people” badly.
Since then, support from some South Africans has waned. So much so that South Africans supported whoever took on Du Plessis.
Du Plessis dominated
Chimaev dominated Du Plessis across five consecutive rounds at UFC 319’s main event held in Chicago, Illinois, in the US.
The South African has held the middleweight title since January 2024, when he beat American fighter Sean Strickland.
“The man has incredible control on the top,” Du Plessis said about Chimaev.
“He was just like a blanket. It wasn’t a matter of strength; it wasn’t that physical; it was just almost as if he knew what your next move was going to be. He got it without using too much power, and I had to decide whether to be on my back or have him on my back. At the end, I went for it, had the back, I could almost taste that victory.”
“He deserves this 100%, he beat me fair and square tonight.”
WATCH: Du Plessis interview after the fight
NOW READ: Beaten Dricus says, ‘Big ups to Khamzat, he deserves this 100%’