With the conclusion of their fight at UFC 305, current middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis and Israel Adesanya settled their debate over the true African fighter. Du Plessis earned the title “King of Africa,” and Adesanya seemed to accept this, suggesting they might have moved on from the controversy.

However, the spark they ignited has now transformed into a fire, reaching the door of Kamaru Usman, who recently commented on it in his latest podcast episode with fellow UFC fighter Henery Cejudo.

Kamaru Usman on Dricus du Plessis’ title

During a recent episode of his podcast, pound for Pound, co-host Henry Cejudo jokingly asked Kamaru Usman about facing the “King of Africa,” referring to Dricus du Plessis. Cejudo said, “You’re not only going to have to come for the middleweight championship of the world, but you’re also going to have to come for the ‘King of Africa’ title. Come on, come on, man. Am I hitting it?”

Unimpressed by Cejuo’s statement, Usman responded, “I don’t want to hit any…You did, you did, because I saw the debate to where it got to, for me it was a little untasteful. It was a little untasteful, well, not a little, very untasteful. Because this is how the division continues to perpetuate.” Previously, the “true African” debate was ignited by Dricus du Plessis, who challenged the claim of Israel Adesanya, Kamaru Usman, and Francis Ngannou as true Arifans due to their early departure from the continent in pursuit of better lives. In contrast, Dricus du Plessis was born, raised, and continues to reside in South Africa.

While the Adesanya-Du Plessis feud continues to simmer elsewhere, the two fighters have surprisingly reconciled. Their rapid shifty from bitter enemies to post-fight camaraderie has puzzled fans and the MMA community alike. After seemingly vowing to destroy each other, the pair now embrace, leaving many questioning the authenticity of their previous animosity. Du Plessis has since offered his explanation for the sudden truce.

Was the beef between Adesanya and du Plessis real?

If you ever doubted the animosity between Israel Adesanya and Dricus du Plessis, then du Plessis has a message for you, as he said in the UFC 305 post-fight interview. He said, “The beef was not fake. The fact that we don’t like each other on a personal level was not fake. If we were in a social setting, I would probably not be sitting at his table. And that’s fine.”

Furthermore, Du Plessis acknowledged Adesanya’s professional accomplishments in the sport but admitted to still disliking him on a personal level. He declared, “But the respect that I have for him in this sport and what he’s done, it can’t be denied. Because if you don’t, you’re an idiot.”

What are your thoughts on Kamru Usman’s statement about Dricus du Plessis’ new  “King of Africa” title? Do you think his frustration is justified? Drop your comments below.