What Joe Rogan did immediately after Dricus du Plessis' win over Israel Adesanya has got UFC fans talking

Joe Rogan's reaction to UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis' victory over Israel Adesanya has divided fans.

Adesanya made his returned to the UFC on August 17 as he faced champion Du Plessis in an attempt to reclaim his belt.

But it wasn't meant to be for the former champion, as Du Plessis completed his first title defence by submitting Adesanya late in the fourth round.

While he wasn't at the event, UFC commentator Joe Rogan did a watchalong for the event on YouTube, and fans have been talking about his reaction to the result of the championship fight.

Rogan immediately started getting excited after the South African champion caught Adesanya with a left hook in the fourth round, repeatedly exclaiming: "Oh my God dude, he hurt him."

Seconds later when former champ tapped to a rear naked choke, Rogan looked shocked, admitting: "Dricus is a f*cking animal dude. He’s a f*ckin animal.

"Even though he is exhausted, if you get clipped you're in real trouble."

And fans are not happy with how the 57-year-old podcast host reacted, accusing him of being biased towards Adesanya.

One wrote: "Save to say the JRE fight companion weren’t happy Dricus subbed Izzy."

Another added: "It was embarrassing how biased they were for Izzy. What fight were they watching and why all the hate for DDP?"

While one defended Rogan, writing: "Everyone has their favourites. Nothing more, nothing less."

At the time of the finish, the champion was ahead Adesanya of two of the three judge's scorecards, despite the fight remaining a highly competitive contest throughout, delivering on the hype that had been building since the pair first came face to face after the South African's victory over Whittaker in July 2023.

Dricus du Plessis defeated Israel Adesanya via submission to retain his UFC middleweight belt on August 17. (Image: Getty)

Du Plessis' next title defence is likely to be against former foe Sean Strickland, who UFC president Dana White recently confirmed was next in line.

However, the champion doesn't believe the American is deserving of the next shot at the title.

Speaking after his victory last weekend, Du Plessis said: "Robert Whittaker deserves the shot, I think he's been done over.

"Sean Strickland's only saving grace is that he went the distance with me, that's it."

But before Whittaker can even think about fighting the champion, he will face highly-rated Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 308 in October.