Dricus du Plessis hammered home several points when he defeated Sean Strickland<\/a> in the main event of UFC 297 in Toronto on Sunday morning to become the first-ever South African UFC champion, writes Quintin van Jaarsveld.<\/p>\n\n\n\nIn a bloody back-and-forth battle, the fighting pride of South Africa fulfilled his destiny as he beat his game American adversary by split decision at the Scotiabank Arena to etch his name in history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a highly technical war of attrition that netted both combatants an extra $50,000 for Fight of the Night, \u201cStillknocks\u201d showcased heart, skill and fight IQ in equal measure to reach the pinnacle of mixed martial arts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Heading into Sunday\u2019s showdown in the Great White North, the apex predator from Pretoria had won all six of his fights inside the Octagon, five of them by finish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After shocking the world by walking through former champion Robert Whittaker last July, he coined his now-famous phrase: \u201cHulle weet nie wat ons weet nie\u201d (They don\u2019t know what we know).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As impressive as the second-round TKO win over \u201cThe Reaper\u201d was, a large portion of international MMA pundits still questioned aspects of Du Plessis\u2019 game and whether he was championship material.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After going toe-to-toe and toppling \u201cTarzan\u201d at the weekend, the 30-year-old proudly proclaimed, \u201cSuid-Afrika, nou weet hulle wat ons weet!\u201d (South Africa, now they know what we know).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Indeed, now they know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now they know what Du Plessis and seasoned South African MMA experts knew all along, that the baddest man in South Africa is the total package. Moreover, he proved with his title triumph that:<\/p>\n\n\n\n