Dricus du Plessis will defend his middleweight title against the undefeated Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319, in one of the biggest nights of his career. Held at the United Center in Chicago, the bout headlines a stacked card on August 16 and has the MMA world buzzing. But away from the cage, the champion’s fiancée, Vasti Spiller, garnered a lot of attention as she joined him backstage and showcased her look for fight night.

The couple, who got engaged earlier this year on Dricus Du Plessis‘ 31st birthday, made waves after a video circulated of them walking together behind the scenes. Spiller, who also works as a boxing coach at CIT Boxing Studio in South Africa, then revealed her UFC 319 attire on social media, adding to the excitement. However, instead of pure admiration, the posts sparked a wave of trolling aimed at the middleweight champion.

Fans of Khamzat Chimaev instantly swamped the comments section with some brutal words. “Buddy gonna get flatlined by Chimaev in front of his fiancé,” a user posted. Another added, “I’m happy he has his girl there to help him come back from the shadow realm.” Some even confused their relationship entirely, with comments like “DDP & his sister 😭” and “His sister?!” But why did they confuse their bond in the first place?

Well, for years, fans who are unfamiliar with South African culture have been fascinated by Du Plessis’ celebratory kiss with his longtime coach, Morne Visser. Many people brought it up again when Spiller appeared with him at UFC 319, saying things like, “I thought DDP liked men,” “Thought he had a husband,” and “Wait, he’s straight?!”

While UFC analyst Daniel Cormier and South African fighters such as Cameron Saaiman have previously stated that these gestures are cultural shows of respect and devotion, worldwide audiences continue to misinterpret the tradition. Dricus Du Plessis has made it clear that the act is no different from greeting a father or grandfather and is simply part of his heritage.

Nonetheless, the middleweight champion is unlikely to be distracted from his task at hand. With a 23-2 record and two title defenses under his belt, Du Plessis is set to face the unbeaten Khamzat Chimaev in what many believe may be his toughest fight yet. And to hype things up even further, the final UFC 319 face-off between the two ended up getting physical.

Khamzat Chimaev gets physical with Dricus du Plessis

The anticipation for UFC 319 only grew sharper when Du Plessis and Chimaev came face-to-face at the ceremonial weigh-ins. What had been a respectful buildup ended abruptly as the unbeaten challenger pushed forward with a shove, prompting Dana White and security to intervene. A night after nearly clashing at the press conference, the tension between champion and contender finally boiled over in front of a loud Chicago audience.

The scene was classic fight-week theater: Joe Rogan announcing the weights, fans on their feet, and two fighters refusing to break eye contact. Both are known for their aggressiveness in fights, and neither gave ground as the situation worsened. Khamzat Chimaev’s push served as both a message and an outburst, signifying the end of civilized exchanges.

The push had little effect on Du Plessis’ focus, though. He stood tall, eyes fixed on his opponent, exuding the same confidence that had propelled him to the throne of his division. However, for the fans, the brief outburst provided an excellent taste of what comes inside the Octagon. So, with such bad blood now, it would be really interesting to see who ends up the winner at the massive main event.