Dricus du Plessis submitted Israel Adesanya in the fourth round of a captivating contest to retain his middleweight title at UFC 305 in Perth, Australia.
The South African, 30, rocked Nigeria-born New Zealander Adesanya with a right hook before dragging him down and securing a rear-naked choke.
Following the contest, Du Plessis paid tribute to Adesanya as the pair settled their differences after a heated build-up.
"To share this octagon with a legend... this man has done so much for this sport and I'm really sorry it came across that I disrespected he was from Africa - it was never my intention. Tonight Africa won regardless," said Du Plessis.
"It was an honour for me to share this cage with a legend like that. I have the utmost respect for him, an ultimate warrior. Believe me, I do not want to be kicked by that man again."
The contest saw a bitter build-up after Du Plessis said he is the "first real African champion", clarifying that he resides on the continent while former champions Adesanya, Kamaru Usman (both born in Nigeria) and Francis Ngannou, who grew up in Cameroon before relocating to France, had moved elsewhere.
Du Plessis, who joined the UFC in 2020, won the title off Sean Strickland in January and was making the first defence of his belt.
Former UFC middleweight champion Adesanya, meanwhile, was fighting for the first time in 11 months after taking a break from the sport, citing mental and physical fatigue after contesting five title bouts in 16 months.
The pair appeared relaxed on their way to the octagon as Adesanya briskly danced his way into the RAC arena.
Du Plessis, meanwhile, was walked out by Springbok greats Eben Etzebeth and Siya Kolisi, with South Africa beating Australia 30-12 in Perth the previous day.
The first round saw both fighters find success with Adesanya avoiding Du Plessis' blitzes forward and landing a crunching right hook to the body, with the South African responding with leg kicks.
Du Plessis utilised his wrestling in the second round, taking Adesanya down three times with the two-time champion defending submission attempts well and regaining his feet.
The momentum then shifted in Adesanya's favour as repeated hooks to the body saw Du Plessis start to breathe heavily, with an eye-catching elbow being the highlight of an array of strikes.
But the South African would have the final say and wobbled Adesanya twice with a pair of hooks in the fourth round, before finishing the contest on the ground.
I'm not leaving - Adesanya
Following the fight the pair paid respect to each other, embracing and shaking hands after a long exchange of words before Adesanya raised Du Plessis' hand in victory.
"I was fighting one of, if not the greatest striker ever in this division, I needed that takedown. At this level it's hard to keep people down and this man is the king of getting back up," said Du Plessis.
"I said I'd come in here to die for this belt and I'm alive right now and that's just a bonus. And I said I'd come here to take a life if I had to. Luckily we didn't have to do either of those things. Here I am, still champion, baby."
Adesanya, meanwhile, who failed in his attempt to become the first ever three-time UFC middleweight champion, said he would be back, despite successive defeats for the first time in his MMA career.
"I'm disappointed in myself but at the same time I'm proud. This is the best I've ever felt, the best I've ever looked, I just fought the better man on the night and I give him respect for that," said Adesanya.
"I know you all want to see me down and want to see me lose but watch this - I'm not leaving."
Earlier on the card, Scotland-born Australian Casey O'Neill defeated Brazil's Luana Santos by unanimous decision to end a two-fight losing streak.
O'Neill, 26, celebrated by copying Australian breakdancer Rachael Gunn's routine from the Paris Olympics.
Gunn - who is known as B-girl Raygun - went viral during the Games earlier this month and has said the criticism she received for her performance has been "devastating".
Meanwhile, videos have surfaced, external of Georgian bantamweight Merab Dvalishvili confronting a heckler at an event in Las Vegas on Friday.
Footage shows Dvalishvili, who challenges American Sean O'Malley for the title at UFC 306 next month, jumping the railing, walking up some stairs towards the fan and grabbing his head, before being walked away by security.