Bok captain Siya Kolisi and teammate Eben Etzebeth walked Du Plessis out to the octagon. Picture: Siya Kolisi/Instagram
Cape Town - South Africans celebrated a remarkable weekend of sporting successes, achieving victories across three major sports.
The nation triumphed in rugby, cricket and mixed martial arts, showcasing its athletic prowess on the global stage.
The Springboks retained the Mandela Challenge Plate by defeating the Wallabies in the Rugby Championship on Saturday, while the Proteas clinched a Test series win against the West Indies on Sunday.
Rounding off a glorious weekend for SA sport fans, in Perth, Australia yesterday morning, UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis successfully defended his title, solidifying South Africa’s dominance in mixed martial arts.
Bok captain Siya Kolisi and teammate Eben Etzebeth walked Du Plessis out to the octagon and were at his side as he defeated bitter rival, Nigerian-born New Zealander Israel Adesanya.
It was an incredible display of fight IQ, cardio and heart from the 30-year-old champion, who executed a rear-naked choke submission in the fourth round of a tense championship bout.
With this victory, the spotlight now turns to UFC CEO and President Dana White, who had promised to bring the UFC to South Africa if Du Plessis won.
Fans are now eagerly awaiting White’s next move as he confirmed that his organisation was indeed actively researching Mzansi as a potential venue for its next major event.
Earlier this week, the UFC president stated that if Du Plessis successfully defended his title against the former two-time champion at UFC 305, he would bring the world’s largest MMA promotion to South Africa.
“If Dricus beats Izzy and brings that belt back to South Africa, we will do an event there,” said White.
White has been talking about a UFC Africa event for some time, and earlier this year he started sharing details about breaking ground on the continent.
“I have been talking about UFC Africa for a long time. It will most likely be South Africa. We may start looking at arenas in the country and possibly doing a fight down there this year,” he said.
Shortly after Du Plessis’ triumph, Sport, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie confirmed that plans were in motion for the UFC to host an event in South Africa after a fan tweeted the minister, pleading with him to seal the deal.
“We have silently worked on it. The department met with UFC today in Oz, and we are very close to an official announcement.
“We have some things to do and fix, but the fight is definitely happening in South Africa. I want to say thank you to Du Plessis’ management team for assisting all the way,” replied the minister.
This is who we are as a South Africans, one nation & sport crazy. Thank you @dricusduplessis, my voice is gone. Thanks @UFCNews for keeping your word. We doing this things on home soil 🔥![CDATA[]]>🔥![CDATA[]]>🔥![CDATA[]]>🔥![CDATA[]]>🔥 pic.twitter.com/ozgVYawJ9P
— Gayton McKenzie (@GaytonMcK) August 18, 2024
On Saturday, the Boks retained the Mandela Challenge Plate, beating the Wallabies in back-to-back Rugby Championship clashes in Australia.
A so-called “B-team” dispatched their hosts, also in Perth, 30-12 to collect a second bonus point victory in as many weekends.
The Boks will return to South Africa today with the Rugby Championship title within their sights and two massive home games against the All Blacks to prepare for.
It was a good day in Perth 👊#Springboks #ForeverGreenForeverGold pic.twitter.com/WDuljWj8u1
— Springboks (@Springboks) August 17, 2024
The back-to-back world champions host the number 3-ranked visitors at a sold-out Ellis Park on Saturday, 31 August, before locking horns a second time at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday, 7 September.
The Proteas men also celebrated victory on Sunday morning, beating the West Indies by 40 runs in a nailbiting second Test that lasted just three days, to clinch the two-match series 1-0.
The series win – the Proteas’ 10th consecutive win over the Windies – sees South Africa now hold the record for the most successive Test series victories over an opponent in the format.
Winning is what we do! 🇿![CDATA[]]>🇦
— Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) August 18, 2024
South Africa’s test series win yesterday was the 10th consecutive win against the West Indies! ✨
The Proteas made us so proud with an incredible team effort and clinical bowling when it mattered! 👏
Well done once again.#WozaNawe #BePartOfIt#SAvWI pic.twitter.com/bwniEGNyo3