Israel Adesanya praised Dricus du Plessis following the South African’s unanimous decision victory over Kamaru Usman in the main event of UFC Oklahoma City, describing it as the strongest performance he has seen from the former UFC middleweight champion.

Du Plessis defeated former welterweight champion Usman in a dominant display on Saturday night, cruising to a clear-cut decision win over five rounds. Despite Adesanya’s long-standing friendship with Usman and his previous rivalry with Du Plessis, the former middleweight champion said he was impressed by Du Plessis’ performance.

“It’s the best I’ve seen Dricus look,” said Adesanya, according to his YouTube channel and as noted by MMA Fighting. “He looked less out of position when he finished punching, when he initiated punching. Sometimes he still did his thing, but he looked really good. Some of the shots he was throwing, the selection, and the timing of the knee for that single-leg, that was a good chess move from their team.”

“I wanted Kamaru to get it done, but again, it just shows how good Dricus is. And good on him,” said Adesanya.

Adesanya and du Plessis previously shared a heated rivalry centred on comments about African identity, which added extra significance to their title fight. However, relations have since improved, with Adesanya saying the result is a positive development for mixed martial arts across Africa.

“It’s good for us anyway,” said Adesanya. “… Just for African MMA. Because off this … every time one of these happens, look, another two African fighters fight in the main event, the whole continent is going to watch. Even though it’s just a Fight Night, they’re still gonna watch and support. I think this is just going to expand the talent pool in African MMA more. And I look forward to it.”