The rivalry between reigning middleweight champion Israel Adesanya and potential title challenger Dricus Du Plessis seems to be getting heated by the day. On Wednesday evening, Adesanya unleashed an expletive-laden fiery tirade directed at Du Plessis, who seemed to be in a favorable position for a title shot after his impressive victory over former champ Robert Whittaker at UFC 290.
Their post-fight confrontation turned into a viral moment filled with racially-charged comments. While the highly-anticipated bout between Israel and Dricus was never officially announced, rumors suggested it could take place at UFC 293 in Sydney, Australia.
However, it appears that Adesanya has received some intel that indicates Du Plessis might not be ready for that date, leading to an explosive social media video post.
Israel Adesanya rips Dricus Du Plessis
“I don’t even know how to start this but, Dricus DuP*ssy, you f*cking b*tch,” Adesanya started in a video posted to Twitter. “‘Oh, all he had to do was put on some gloves, I was ready to go again.’ No you weren’t.”
“You’re a b*tch. That’s why you’re not taking this fight. You’re foot’s sore. My knee was jacked for my last fight. Guess what I did? I showed up, because that’s what a f*cking champion does. Championship caliber, built differently,” he continued.
Dickless DuPussay. pic.twitter.com/UQwRF2a5tU
— Israel Adesanya (@stylebender) July 20, 2023
On the other hand, Sean Strickland has been considered a rising contender by many. Especially considering how pretty much the entire top middleweight lineup has been cleared out by Adesanya the lack of fresh contenders is obvious.
Israel Adesanya calls out Sean Strickland
After his impressive win at UFC on ESPN 48, Strickland has positioned himself within reach of a middleweight title shot. However, just one week later, Dricus sent a clear message by upsetting Robert Whittaker at UFC 290, asserting himself as the next top contender to challenge the current champion, Israel Adesanya.
While most signs point towards an intense Israel vs. Du Plessis title showdown at UFC 293 in Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena on September 9, no official announcement has been made yet. Although the matchup between Adesanya and Dricus seems probable, there remains a chance it might not materialize.
The Kiwi fighter has also called out Sean saying, “Sean Strickland. He’s a bad m***erf***er. Like, literally bad. Rotten apple. But I like the guy, he’s funny and he likes to talk shit as well. And his stand-up, I’ve seen him do more damage on YouTube in sparring than in his fights.”
“Put it that way. I’ve seen his sparring footages and I would never spar with an idiot like that. I’ve hurt people in sparring before and I’m just like, ‘Shit, my bad’. Or I’ll pull back with the body shot or whatever but I’ve seen what he does… He’s got many screws loose, many screws loose,” he added.
Who should fight Izzy for the title next in your opinion? Let us know in the comment section below.
