Praise for Du Plessis after second UFC title defence

Minister of Sport, Art and Culture Gayton McKenzie was one of the first to congratulate Dricus "Stillknocks" du Plessis for successfully defending his Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight title in Sydney for a second time against Sean Strickland yesterday morning.

- Marizka Coetzer

Du Plessis caused an uproar back home this week for wearing a T-shirt with "Trump prefers champions" printed on it in the lead up to the fight. It divided the nation, with some suggesting he should go and live in the United States, while others commended him "for saying it as it is".

Yesterday's fight was the rematch after their first fight in Toronto just over a year ago, where Du Plessis took the title from Strickland via a split decision after five rounds.

This rematch went the same way but this time there was no doubt about the outcome as Du Plessis battered Strickland for 25 minutes and came away with a unanimous decision victory.

"A champion representing South Africa on the international stage entering the ring wearing the SA flag, I must now not support him because he did or said something I or you disagree with? You guys have gone mad. Well done Dricus," McKenzie said on social media.