WATCH | Siya and Etzebeth go crazy as Dricus wins UFC title

Springbok legends Siya Kolisi and Eben Etzebeth “lost it” when mixed martial arts star Dricus du Plessis defended his Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight title in the Perth arena on Sunday.

Captain Kolisi and lock Etzebeth jumped up and down, screaming jubilantly as they watched Du Plessis retain his title after a fourth-round submission win at Perth Arena.

The Boks, who on Saturday thrashed Australia 30-12 in their Rugby Championship Test, looked formidable as they escorted Du Plessis, draped in a South African flag into the octagon as Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika was played in the arena.

The MMA fighter, who became the first South African to win a UFC title when he claimed victory over US star Sean Strickland at the Scotiabank Arena in Canada in January, is reported to have said, when asked about the South African government, “it is far ahead in being the worst government in the world” and “nobody can truly compete with them. We are exceptionally [bad] at being a government.”    

But on Sunday thousands of South Africans were celebrating the victory, including minister of sport, arts and culture Gayton McKenzie who took to social media to post: “This is who we are as South Africans, one nation & sport crazy.”

He thanked Du Plessis for his lost voice and hinted of a UFC fight in South Africa in the near future.

He said the department met with UFC officials in Australia where they were ironing out some details ahead of an official announcement about a fight on “home soil”.

McKenzie also corrected a social media post claiming Monday is a public holiday to “braai and celebrate how much we've been winning lately”. 

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