Dricus should keep out of political space

As an ambassador for our country, the best thing Dricus du Plessis can do right now is get back in his cage. Following the rapid rise of social media, the world has found itself in a bizarre place in which expert opinion is drowned out by the masses. We no longer listen to the people who know best. We now listen to the person who shouts the loudest.

This growing problem was again highlighted both before and after Du Plessis’ historic UFC win over Sean Strickland last week.

Ahead of the fight, Strickland used his platform at a press conference to share his transphobic views while taking a stab at Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau.

And in the aftermath of their battle, Du Plessis used his platform in a one-on-one TV interview in Canada to share his political views, claiming the ANC is the most corrupt government in the world.

That’s nowhere near true. While South Africa obviously has problems with corruption, we don’t have to look any further than our Southern African neighbours to know our leaders are a long way off from being the most corrupt.

But this is the problem. Du Plesis has no idea what he’s talking about. He’s not a political analyst. He’s an MMA fighter.

He has also previously used his voice on the global stage to share his opinion about an alleged genocide against South African farmers, which suggests his understanding of politics is limited to blatant untruths and silly propaganda.

The point is not that Du Plessis should be muzzled. He has as much right to share his views as anyone else. But television interviews are not platforms for cage fighters to yell about things which are far beyond their understanding or their control.

If Du Plessis wants to talk about mixed martial arts, I’m all ears. He’s one of the world’s best fighters and he’s an expert in his field.

But as well skilled as he might be in judo and kickboxing, those abilities don’t make him an expert in everything. And based on his comments, politics is far from his forte.

Our nation’s sports ambassadors are expected to carry our flag with pride as representatives of the rest of us on the international stage.

In terms of that role, Du Plessis will do best to stick to what he knows.

I really don’t care about his political views. He can share those with his mates around the braai, just like the rest of us.