Despite the fact that Israel Adesanya unleashed racially charged trash talking at UFC 290, Dricus Du Plessis seemed to be unconcerned by the situation.
Following the stoppage victory that Du Plessis achieved over Robert Whittaker in July of last year, Adesanya entered the octagon and hurled a series of profanities at the South African fighter. An unpleasant racial undertone was conveyed through the use of explicit language, despite the fact that a physical confrontation was averted.
Take a look at the footage of the confrontation that is below (2:18):
As a result of that incident, Du Plessis referred to ‘The Last Stylebender’ as a “clown” and blasted his behavior as being unsuitable for a champion. He stated that such behaviors are not proper for an adult but rather resemble the behavior of a child. On the other hand, it appears that ‘Stillknocks’ is now downplaying the words made by the former middleweight champion.
An exclusive interview with Andrew Whitelaw for Sportskeeda MMA was conducted, and Du Plessis made the following statement:
We are one of the very few sports that still have freedom of speech, and we have freedom of speech that is genuine in terms of… You are provided with a stage, you are given a microphone, and you are able to share your thoughts. There is one thing that I appreciate about the company, Dana, and the rights that they provide to all of the combatants, and that is that they allow you the ability to say whatever you want. You have to face the repercussions.
He went on to say:
It is entirely up to you to decide how you would like to present yourself to the international community. We have not been instructed to say or do anything; you are free to do whatever you want, but as long as it is not against the law, you are free to do whatever you want. I wish you the best of luck.
Please have a look at the comments made by Dricus Du Plessis below (13:16):
The root of their violent verbal battle may be traced back to previous interactions between the two of them, during which Du Plessis questioned Adesanya’s validity as an African fighter. “Stillknocks” asserted that he was the only authentic African combatant in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), implying that other fighters were only adopting the African name without actually inhabiting or training on the African continent.
Dricus Du Plessis addresses possibility of fight with Israel Adesanya
Due to an injury, Dricus Du Plessis was unable to fulfill the UFC’s standard for an eight-week turnaround in order to compete against Israel Adesanya at UFC 293, which was scheduled to take place in September 2023.
Sean Strickland was awarded the opportunity to compete for the championship as a result of the promotion. After that, “Tarzan” went on to triumph over Adesanya and win the middleweight championship, which is considered to be one of the most major upsets in recent history.
Strickland is scheduled to compete against “Stillknocks” for the 185-pound championship in the main event of UFC 297, which is scheduled to take place on January 20. “Stillknocks” is presently preparing for the fight. Adesanya is the opponent that Du Plessis plans to face in his first title defense if he is victorious this weekend. Du Plessis makes this statement in a previous statement.
During the same interview with Sportskeeda MMA, Dricus Du Plessis responded to the topic of whether or not he would appreciate the opportunity to fight Adesanya in the future:
Is it a feeling that I am meant to fight Izzy? No. What appears to be predetermined is an event that takes place in Africa; it is my destiny to travel to Africa and bring the Ultimate Fighting Championship there; that is what I want to achieve, and if you throw in Israel Adesanya, the destiny becomes a great deal more intriguing. On the other hand, although it is not my destiny to fight Adesanya, I would love nothing more than to face Adesanya on the land of Africa or on the soil of South Africa, where I was born and raised.
