Dricus Du Plessis will not enter the RAC Arena at UFC 305 with his teammates. But it will be the rugby legends, Siya Kolisi and Eben Etzebeth walking Du Plessis in to fight Israel Adesanya. The move is indeed one that has garnered all the attention in the world. However, the rugby stars won’t be present in the middleweight champ’s corner. 

Apart from Kolisi and Etzebeth, the entire Springboks team will be there to cheer for their countrymate as he fights one of the strongest battles of his MMA career. But today, let’s get to know about Siya Kolisi. So without any further ado, let’s dive right in!

Everything we need to know about Siya Kolisi

Siyamthanda Kolisi has repeatedly made the South Africans proud with his captaincy of the South Africa national rugby team. Playing as a flanker and loose forward, Kolisi is a formidable entity to play against on the field. He was even the captain of Springboks back in 2018 and led the team to a phenomenal victory in the 2019 Rugby World Cup. He then proceeded to win yet another World Cup in 2023.

He is indeed one of the two captains who pulled the South African team through back-to-back victories. To add to the list of Kolisi’s achievements, he appeared in the list of 100 most influential Africans in the New Africa magazine, back in 2019. Needless to say, Siya Kolisi is one of the most looked-up personalities in the nation.

No wonder Du Plessis wanted him to be present during his much-anticipated bout against Adesanya. After all, his pride as a South African is at stake along with his championship title. He even claimed that ‘The Last Stylebender’ could knock him down, but with the South African flag on his shoulders, he was not going to get knocked out. And the same emotions were shared by the Springboks, as they got ready for their bout against the Australian team for the finale. 

But Kolisi seemed to have a message for Du Plessis. Let’s find out what he had to say.

The Springboks captain sends a message for ‘Stillknocks’

After ‘Stillknocks’ announced having Etzebeth and Kolisi walk him into the RAC Arena at UFC 305, the entire world was left in supreme admiration. But all of the honor seemed to belong to the Springboks captain. In a visual on social media, Du Plessis and Kolisi were spotted on a rooftop with a beautiful sunset, where the rugby star sent forth an epic message for the middleweight champion.

Kolisi said, “You came halfway around the world to watch us play [at the 2023 World Cup in France]. I hope we inspire you as much as you inspire us. We do it as a team, while you go into the ring by yourself. But we are all behind you. This is not just for South Africa, but the whole of Africa. Thank you for asking me and my bestie [Etzebeth] to walk with you!”

Kolisi’s words of encouragement were met with admiration from the South African mixed martial artist. But the crowd burst into cheers as the rugby star demonstrated his skills with his fists. Needless to say, watching his hero demonstrating his shadowboxing prowess was a moment of pride for ‘Stillknocks’.

Do you think the presence of the Springboks can motivate Du Plessis enough to claim a victory over the former 2-time middleweight champion? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.