Following Dricus Du Plessis’ powerful knockout of Robert Whittaker at UFC 290 on Saturday, July 8, 2023, tensions rose inside the cage. The victory earned Du Plessis a shot at the Middleweight championship, where he will be facing Israel Adesanya. However, things have taken an unpleasant turn due to a mounting conflict between Du Plessis and Adesanya.
The feud has been fueled, in part, by controversial remarks made by Du Plessis concerning Adesanya’s heritage. Du Plessis is determined to make history as the first true African champion, proudly highlighting his roots in South Africa, where he both hails from and trains. Conversely, Adesanya, who was born in Nigeria, later moved to New Zealand, where he now trains with City Kickboxing.
Israel Adesanya claims Dricus du Plessis is avoiding showdown
“Now he doesn’t wanna fight,” Adesanya said on The Halfcast Podcast (h/t MMA News). “Even after [UFC 290], he’s like, ‘Oh, bro, all you had to do was put some gloves on, we could have got it on right there.’ B—chass f—k. You wouldn’t have. ‘Cause guess what?
He didn’t want it … People were like, ‘Oh, he’s so classy walking away. He’s so [classy].’ I’m like, ‘Bro, he didn’t even walk away. He felt me.’ He didn’t wanna feel me. He’s not a scared man, he’s a tough dude,” he continued.
In April 2023, Adesanya reclaimed his Middleweight title by delivering a stunning second-round knockout (punches) against his long-standing rival, Alex Pereira (watch highlights). Pereira’s decision to move to the Light Heavyweight division created an opportunity for a fresh rivalry for Adesanya.
Initially, there were speculations about Sean Strickland stepping in to face Israel Adesanya at UFC 293, but as of now, no concrete developments have surfaced.
Adesanya unleashes brutal racist rant at Du Plessis at UFC 290
Dricus Du Plessis reacts to Israel Adesanya's comments during their face-off pic.twitter.com/o0mcCJNsIm
— Best MMA Moments (@XcellentMMA) July 9, 2023
Following his surprising second-round TKO win over Robert Whittaker at UFC 290, Dricus Du Plessis has taken issue with Israel Adesanya’s recent rant. The middleweight champion engaged in a heated face-off with DDP last weekend, which escalated tensions.
During the confrontation, Adesanya unleashed a blistering rant directed at the former KSW star, repeatedly using the term “my n***a.” In response, Du Plessis firmly stated that he is “no brother” of the Nigerian-born New Zealander. Their feud was further fueled by Adesanya’s controversial “African fighter” comments made in March.
“Let's go nigga. What's up, bitch? Let's go, nigga.”
"I'm African, but I'm no brother of yours, son.”
The build-up to Israel Adesanya vs Dricus Du Plessis will be super dark.
It’ll be worse than Conor McGregor’s fried with Khabib, IMO.#UFC290
— Chisanga Malata (@Chisanga_Malata) July 9, 2023
Du Plessis decided to address his criticisms of Israel Adesanya at the post-fight press conference, where he expressed his concerns about the situation.
