South Africa's UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis has lauded Conor McGregor's influence on mixed martial arts, hailing him as one of the all-time greats in the sport.
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South Africa's UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis has lauded Conor McGregor's influence on mixed martial arts, hailing him as one of the all-time greats in the sport.
The 30-year-old Du Plessis is set to make his second title defence on February 8 in a rematch against American Sean Strickland at UFC 321 in Australia and has vowed to emerge victorious from the octagon.
As the fight edges closer, Du Plessis also been in the headlines after showing up at UFC 312 media day in Sydney on Wednesday wearing a T-shirt printed with 'Trump prefers champions' and praising US President Donald Trump as an "amazing president".
This was despite the US president having said that he was cutting aid to South Africa over the unproven claim that the country was confiscating land.
Speaking on the Straight Talk Podcast, Du Plessis named his top five greatest fighters of all time and included the controversial McGregor who was found guilty of sexual assault last year.
McGregor had a stellar career in the UFC, winning multiple titles, and is widely regarded as one of the figures who helped popularise the sport.
"GOAT list, that's a tough one. I mean, you can't deny the great Jon Jones, never, ever, He is the greatest of all time, for sure, you can't deny that," Du Plessis said.
"Then, of course, Conor McGregor, a massive inspiration for me in terms of how he changed the sport, how he approached the sport, he's a great inspiration to me when I was young and how to approach it."
The other fighters included in Du Plessis' top five were Anderson Silva, Gilbert Burns, and Mirko Cro Cop.
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