The verbal sparring between UFC middleweight champ Israel Adesanya and Dricus du Plessis is heating up, and it seems like there’s no end in sight. Adesanya recently slammed du Plessis for “creating a divide” and went on an expletive-laden rant about him.
Earlier this month during the post-fight press conference at UFC 287, Israel Adesanya didn’t shy away from calling out du Plessis, vowing to “drag his carcass across South Africa” if they ever fought:
Check out ‘Izzy’s’ entire remarks at UFC 287 presser below:
The tension between the two fighters stems from du Plessis’ recent comments about the former African champions, which he labeled as “Fake Champions.” In contrast, he touted himself as the only true African who can claim the UFC championship. The claim didn’t sit well with ‘The Last Stylebender’, who sees himself as a proud African and has been a prominent representative of the continent in the UFC.
During a recent Ramble Young Man Ramble podcast, Israel Adesanya took shots at ‘Stillknocks’ and remarked:
“I’m gonna take him to school in octagon and not history because what he’s doing is creating divide you can knowing your history. I have never questioned him as an African because yeah, you were born in South Africa, of course you’re an African.”
The 185-pound kingpin added:
“I’ve never questioned that but who the f*ck is this cracker to tell me, who the f*ck I am, who the f*ck Kamaru [Usman] is, who the f*ck [Francis] Ngannou is? I’m like, are you dumb as a product of colonization you’re trying to tell me who the f*ck I am ? You can take the boy out of Africa but you can never take the Africa out of the boy. I have never did that to him, I never discredited [Dricus du Plessis] as an African.”
Check out the Nigerian-born Kiwi’s entire remarks below (from 1:26:31 onwards):
Dricus Du Plessis vs. Robert Whittaker championship eliminator elicits a two-word response from Israel Adesanya
Israel Adesanya has his eyes fixed on the middleweight title eliminator fight between Dricus du Plessis and Robert Whittaker, which is scheduled for UFC 290 on July 8. ‘The Last Stylebender’ has been vocal about his support for one of the fighters and is eager to see how the fight unfolds.
Du Plessis is also confident in his abilities and has promised to dazzle his critics during the International Fight Week event. The South African fighter took to social media to express his determination to put on a show and prove his worth in the octagon.
To which, reigning UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya responded:
“Please win.”