Israel Adesanya and Kamaru Usman have addressed controversial comments made by UFC Middleweight Champion Dricus du Plessis regarding African representation in the sport, sparking a debate about heritage and identity.
Frmer champions Adesanya and Usman discussed their feelings about du Plessis positioning himself as the “first African champion” despite their own established legacies as UFC titleholders with African roots.
“It’s deep, it’s very, very deep,” Usman explained. “You know, it might go over a lot of people’s head, but even in America, there’s racism here, but they don’t understand the levels.”
Usman, who was born in Nigeria before moving to the United States, expressed confusion about du Plessis’ approach to discussing African representation in the UFC. “When you come in and there’s three African kings already, why is your mentality not to say, ‘Man, I want to be the fourth African champion?'”
The “three kings” Usman referenced include himself, Adesanya (born in Nigeria, raised in New Zealand), and Francis Ngannou (from Cameroon) – all of whom held UFC championships before du Plessis.
Adesanya, who will challenge du Plessis for the middleweight title at UFC 305, agreed with Usman’s assessment, describing du Plessis’ perspective as stemming from a “colonial mindset.”
The controversy began when South African du Plessis suggested he would be the first “real” African champion because he lives and trains on the continent, implying that champions who left Africa were somehow less authentic representatives.
Despite their criticism of du Plessis’ comments, both fighters acknowledged that personally, they have no issues with him. Usman noted, “I do think he’s a great guy… As far as when I ran in with him, he’s cool.”
Kamaru Usman is staring down the most difficult chapter of his storied career as he prepares to return to action on June 14 against the surging Joaquin Buckley in Atlanta. Riding a three-bout losing streak—including a short-notice loss to Khamzat Chimaev—Usman’s momentum has all but evaporated since losing his welterweight title in 2022. Still, the former champion remains unshaken in his belief that he’s better than the contenders ahead of him and sees this fight as a chance to reset his path toward the top. While Buckley is on a tear with six straight wins and a reputation for explosive finishes, Usman is determined to prove that experience, grit, and self-belief can still eclipse hype. Whether this marks the beginning of a redemption arc or the final stages of a decline will be decided under the lights in Atlanta.
Dricus Du Plessis is locked in for a high-stakes showdown against the undefeated Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319, a bout many consider the most difficult test of his reign. With two successful title defenses under his belt, the South African champion now faces a contender long hyped as a future great—if his health holds up. In a controversial move, Du Plessis publicly rejected the idea of facing backup Nassourdine Imavov, who knocked out Israel Adesanya and now sits poised as a top threat.
