Tristan Tate Defends Former UFC Champion Dricus Du Plessis Against Racism Allegations
- Tristan Tate has backed Dricus du Plessis after losing his UFC middleweight title to Khamzat Chimaev over the weekend
- The South African UFC star was dragged on social media after losing the bout with some of the critics falsely labelling him a 'racist'
- Andrew Tate's comments went viral and gathered different reactions from netizens on social media
Tristan Tate, Andrew Tate's brother and a prominent British-American influencer, has defended former UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis amid accusations of being a racist.
Du Plessis trended over the weekend after losing his middleweight title to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319, which took place on Sunday, August 17, 2025, at the United Centre in Chicago, United States.
Source: Getty Images
The South African MMA star entered the bout as the defending champion but was not the favourite, as Chimaev was given the "likely to win" tag by bookies and pundits before the fight.
The Russian-born fighter showed class after winning the bout, respecting Du Plessis by sending him a kind message during an interview in the octagon.
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Tristan Tate defends Du Plessis amid racism allegations
Du Plessis was trolled and dragged on social media after losing the fight, with most critics labelling the UFC star as "racist."
The 31-year-old did not make any racist comments, but his public support for U.S. President Donald Trump and Pretoria-born Elon Musk, particularly over their views on farm attacks, led to the misconception about him.
Like du Plessis, Tate, who is also a professional kickboxer like his brother Andrew, is outspoken about his thoughts and a supporter of Trump.
Tate took to his official handle on X (formerly known as Twitter) to defend Du Plessis after he was criticised online following the fight.
“The hate @dricusduplessis is getting from people is totally unjustified. Chin up, champ, ignore the noise,” he posted on X.
This is not the first time Tate has defended Du Plessis. He previously came to his defence when Nigerian-born UFC fighter Israel Adesanya claimed that the South African was "not African."
Source: Getty Images
Tate responded by saying, “Saying @dricusduplessis isn’t African because he’s white is super racist. He’s African, and so is Elon. Do none of you know basic history?”
Tate’s comments on Du Plessis sparked various reactions from netizens on social media.
Reactions as Tate defends DDP amid racism allegations
Coloured wrote:
"Woke left is so predictable, just because he is not black. Too bad the first residing African Champ is a White African. Deal with it because the record books won't change!🔥"
AliceVLAuthor said:
"Yet, the last fight he won, they were proud to call him an "African gem."
CapeColoureds shared:
"He will always be our champion. He put South African MMA on the map we are proud of him and he never gave up. Showed real African spirit."
Zen commented:
"It's the racists in South Africa giving him hate, haters will always hate, they just showing the world their true colours, I hope the world sees what is going on in SA, keep your head up Dricus, we love you and we appreciate you, an honest man, and a brilliant warrior."
Mr. Nomad added:
"People love throwing around the phrase “fraud checked”, all because he got out wrestled. But that logic they’d say Adesanya, Pereira, O’Malley, and everyone else who doesn’t wrestle a fraud. Most MMA critics can’t even fight."
Top SA DJ calls out Du Plessis
Briefly News earlier reported that a popular South African DJ has slammed Du Plessis amid 'white genocide' claims after losing to Chimaev.
The DJ emphasised that the backlash DDP got on social media after the fight was duly expected.
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Source: Briefly News
