Former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman has welcomed South African Dricus du Plessis into the elite group of African UFC champions, rebranding the ‘Three African Kings’ to the ‘Four Horsemen’, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
Speaking on the Pound 4 Pound podcast with Henry Cejudo, Usman acknowledged du Plessis as the fourth African champion of which originally, it was the trio of Israel Adesanya, Usman and Francis Ngannou.
“With great power comes great responsibility. When you have that platform and you have that mic in your hand, you have to be careful with what you say,” Usman said.
“Dricus du Plessis is the fourth African champion right now, so there are four horsemen. We’ve moved on from the three kings to where now it’s four horsemen.”
The inclusion marks a significant shift in relations, following previous tensions when du Plessis claimed to be the first ‘real’ African champion, questioning the African credentials of Usman, Adesanya, and Ngannou because they trained outside the continent.
However, after his fight against Adesanya, the tone changed to one of respect for the Nigerian and the other champions.
Responding to Usman’s gesture, du Plessis expressed gratitude for the recognition.
“I think it’s incredible. I think sport brings people together. I mean there’s rivalries, of course, because at the end of day, we’re getting in there trying to kill each other but it’s nothing personal especially to me,” du Plessis said.
“What the four of us have achieved is incredible and for me being a part of that, it’s amazing and I appreciate it.”
The South African is set to defend his newly acquired middleweight title in a rematch against Sean Strickland.
Meanwhile, Ngannou recently secured victory against Renan Ferreira in the Professional Fighters League, as Usman plans his return to welterweight following an unsuccessful middleweight bout against Khamzat Chimaev.
