Israel Adesanya has slammed Dricus Du Plessis for discrediting other African UFC champions. Speaking to Masthead, Adesanya claimed that Du Plessis has a ‘colonial mindset’ and further added that the South African was wrong to discredit the other three African champions.
Adesanya added that Du Plessis could have claimed to be the fourth African UFC champion after himself, Kamaru Usman, and Francis Ngannou. Instead, he discredited the others and claimed he was the only true African champion.
Israel Adesanya unhappy with Dricus Du Plessis’ comments
Israel Adesanya and Dricus Du Plessis recently had a heated debate on the African champion topic during the UFC 305 pre-sales press conference.
Speaking to Masthead, Adesanya further slammed Du Plessis, saying, “The way he approached it was with a colonial mindset. He could’ve come in and said, ‘It’s cool that we have three African champions. It would be cool to be the fourth one’. But he’s like, ‘No, I’m the real African champion’”.
Adesanya further added, “Imagine going to this land and seeing all these beautiful animals – a horse with a long ass neck, a cow with a horn on its face – and you’re thinking, ‘This is a crazy place, look at all these people, I want it all for myself’.”
Israel Adesanya and Dricus Du Plessis are set to fight at UFC 305 in Perth, Australia. ‘Stylebender’ has been out of action since his UFC 293 loss to Sean Strickland.
Du Plessis, meanwhile, won the title against Strickland at UFC 297. Adesanya and Du Plessis were set to fight at UFC 293 but the South African pulled out due to an injury. Their highly-anticipated fight is finally set to take place.
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Israel Adesanya hints at gameplan against Dricus Du Plessis
Israel Adesanya reflected on Dricus Du Plessis’ gutsy fighting style, claiming it has to be respected. Adesanya pointed out that otherwise, Du Plessis could turn out to be problematic to deal with.
‘Stylebender’, though, is confident in his own ability, claiming he is capable of meeting fire with fire. When needed, Adesanya is also ready to turn on a different side of him and neutralize Du Plessis. He said,
“But, I can fight fire with fire too. Or I can fight fire with water as well.”
Adesanya also assessed Du Plessis’ fight against Strickland, claiming it was a sloppy affair where neither fighter produced a clean performance. The former middleweight champion claimed Du Plessis edged the fight by a round.
Also Read: Dricus Du Plessis Confident Win Over Israel Adesanya Will Earn Him Place Among Middleweight Legends