The main event at UFC 305 is all set to entertain the fighting community as Dricus Du Plessis and Israel Adesanya have kept on adding fuel to their rivalry. Even during the pre-fight press conference, the main eventers got into a heated verbal battle. Needless to say, it has become a bit too personal for both of the fighters. To show off his South African heritage, Du Plessis asked two rugby stars to walk him into the RAC Arena for UFC 305.

In an interview with KFM Mornings, Du Plessis revealed, “We are trying to get Eben [Etzebeth] and Siya [Kolisi] to walk out with me and it looks like it’s a done deal. They won’t be sitting in my corner but will walk out with me to the octagon which is pretty special.” Today, let’s shine some light on Etzebeth, and get to know a bit about him. 

Who is Eben Etzebeth and how is he connected to Dricus Du Plessis?

Eben Etzebeth is one of the key players in the second row of his rugby team, Springboks. Standing 6ft 9in tall and weighing around 260 pounds, Etzebeth is nothing short of a giant. His size is indeed responsible for letting him dominate the field as one of the most effective enforcers in the sport. Playing for the Springboks since 2012, he has won more than 100 caps. Currently, Etzebeth is signed with the Sharks and his contract extends till the end of 2027.

On top of that, the South African rugby star also hails from a family of wrestlers. No Wonder, he is an associate of Du Plessis. But there’s more to the relationship between Du Plessis and Etzebeth than meets the eye. After all, like most South Africans, ‘Stillknocks’ also dreamt of donning the green jersey of the rugby team. Nevertheless, he was successful in befriending some of the top names in the sport.

The Boks are, without a doubt, the pride of South Africa. And Etzebeth and Kolisi are the star players who led the team to the Rugby World Cup twice. But it also put a lot of pressure on Du Plessis’ shoulders. He said, “The bigger the moment, the bigger Dricus shows up on the night. I can’t wait. This fight is by far the biggest of my career. This is my World Cup, my last one was in January in Canada and now I’m defending it. Once I put that South African flag around my shoulders, there is nothing in the world that can stop me. He can knock me down, but he won’t knock me out and he won’t keep me down.”

This announcement has made the entire world wonder how a South African team will enter a fight scheduled at an arena thousands of miles away from their homeland. Let’s find out!

‘Stillknocks’ feels lucky to have the Springboks in the audience

Du Plessis has often displayed his pride in his South African heritage. But this time, things seem to have taken a pretty significant turn, with the fight to settle the ‘real African’ debate echoing all around the world. The UFC middleweight champion has declared that the Springboks were going to watch the fight at the RAC Arena. But what is the reason behind a South African rugby team watching a UFC fight?

Well, it was all possible because the South African national rugby union team has a match against Australia on Saturday. Du Plessis said, “I’m fighting on Sunday, the Boks are playing Saturday. So all of them are gonna be at the fight, they’re gonna come and watch the fight, the Boks are gonna be there. It’s going to be awesome.” With the fight being scheduled for Sunday, it was indeed a feasible move for the South Africans to support their countrymate fighting for their heritage, don’t you think?

What are your thoughts on Du Plessis getting two of the best South African rugby players to walk him into the arena against ‘The Last Stylebender’? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.