Footage has circulated of an MMA fighter putting his opponent's mouthguard back in before pummelling him on the ground.
In the 15-second video clip, which has been over 400,000 times on Twitter, the unnamed fighter takes his opponent back before eventually finding himself in top mount. During the scramble on the ground, the fighter in the bottom position loses his mouthguard and instead of relying on the referee to briefly pause the action, the fighter on top puts it back in for his opponent before reigning down some heavy punches.
It's unclear when the fight is from and who the two fighters in the viral clip are, but fans have suggested the fighter on top is UFC middleweight Dricus Du Plessis. The South African fighter, who is a former two-weight champion for EFC, most recently tapped out Darren Till at UFC 282 in Las Vegas last month.
Fans have reacted to the video by praising the fighter's sportsmanship, with one user writing: It's good sportsmanship. He doesn't want to maim him for life with a bunch of broken teeth." A second commenter wrote: "Great sportsmanship my man didn't want to ruin his Colgate smile" as a third added: "At least he wanted to protect the guy's teeth before breaking his face."
"This man is a good person! 'I will beat you up, but I will also protect your teeth in the process.' Can't really ask for more," another commenter wrote. "If the fighter in the video is Du Plessis, it would have come long before his UFC days as the shorts and gloves he is wearing in the clip don't have an official logo on them."
What are your thoughts on the fighter putting his opponent's mouthguard back in for him? Let us know in the comments section below
UFC middleweight Chris Curtis also weighed on the video by writing: "We may be violent but we are not savages." Curtis fought on the same card as Du Plessis last month and expected the pair to be matched up against each other next, but Du Plessis has been booked to face Derek Brunson at UFC 285 in March.
"Dricus is a f***** unit. That's an athletic South African man right there. So I'd be shocked if that wasn't it and if it is, I'd love to get a main event on a Fight Night card. I want a five-round fight with him. That would be crazy," Curtis said.
