When Dricus du Plessis choked out 'Black Mamba' after trash-talking comments about girlfriend [VIDEO]

Dricus du Plessis is all set to challenge UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya in his next fight in what will be his maiden opportunity to lay hands on the 185-pound championship.

While there haven't been any official confirmations yet, rumors are rife that the pair will clash at the upcoming UFC 293 card on September 10, 2023, at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia. Dricus du Plessis recently punched his ticket to a title shot with an emphatic second-round TKO victory over former 185-pound champion Robert Whittaker.

In the midst of all these rumors, an old video of Dricus du Plessis choking out Yannick Bahati, after offensive comments about his girlfriend has surfaced on the internet. The South African and Bahati locked horns for the EFC middleweight championship in August 2017.

The feud between 'Still Knocks' and Bahati intensified when 'Still Knocks' confidently claimed that he would exhaust Bahati during their EFC 62 (Extreme Fighting Championship) bout and ultimately defeat him. In retaliation, Bahati struck back at Du Plessis' remarks about fatigue, delivering a low blow by insinuating that Du Plessis' girlfriend would testify against such claims. 'Black Mamba' stated:

"He believes I will gas and my response was, 'Ask your girlfriend'. What is he going to do? You'll do nothing. I'm the king of South Africa. I own that place."

With both fighters determined to claim the middleweight championship, the contest proved to be a thrilling affair. Du Plessis, renowned for his grappling prowess, seized an opportune moment when Bahati shot for a takedown, and executed a decisive guillotine choke on his opponent. With that victory, the 29-year-old laid hands on the EFC middleweight championship.

Check out the video here:

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Brendan Schaub lauds Dricus du Plessis following UFC 290 victory

Dricus du Plessis is basking in the praise and admiration of the MMA community following his spectacular second-round TKO victory over Robert Whittaker at UFC 290.

In a recent episode of The Schaub Show, former UFC heavyweight contender Brendan Schaub spoke highly of Du Plessis' skills inside the octagon, while also applauding his coaching team for shaping the South African into the formidable contender he is today. According to Schaub:

“DDP is the real deal. I think Robert Whittaker, you look at his fights before this he looked pretty f*cking good. You can’t say this is an older version of Robert Whittaker. I think Dricus du Plessis is that f*cking good and it’s time we start acknowledging it.”

Schaub added:

“Du Plessis is f*cking good and damn near impossible to beat. I’d love to talk to his coach. Hat’s off to him, they’ve done a great job with him and tuning his style and getting it to this world-class level, and nobody believed him. Nobody but his coaches and probably his few family members thought he was going to be at this level.”

The victory at UFC 290 set the stage for the highly anticipated clash against Israel Adesanya. The idea of the matchup has enticed the MMA community, considering that Adesanya has been lapping the middleweight division and the fresh challenge will serve as added motivation for 'The Last Stylebender'.

Catch Schaub's comments below: