The UFC Middleweight champion, Dricus Du Plessis, is set to face Israel Adesanya this Saturday at UFC 305. The matchup is highly anticipated because the rivalry between the two men started at UFC 290 after Du Plessis’ victory over Robert Whittaker. While both fighters have been trash talking about each other, “Stillknocks” recently made a contrary comment.
The rivalry between Du Plessis and Adesanya has been quite heated
Recently, at a press conference, Du Plessis claimed that the upcoming clash is not personal to him. “It is definitely personal to him because he took very offense at what said for telling the truth, and he didn’t like it. It was never personal because there is nothing to be personal about for me. I said what I said, 100% fact,” said Du Plessis.
This statement is surprising for MMA fans considering the rivalry between the two men has been very intense and heated. Du Plessis said that he is the real African UFC champion, a comment that angered “The Last Stylebender.” Dricus is a resident of South Africa, while Israel Adesanya lives in New Zealand. This was the main reason behind Du Plessis’ statement. However, Adesanya took it as an insult because he was born in Nigeria. The former Middleweight champion also accused Du Plessis of having a colonial mindset. He also stated that by claiming to be the first real African champion, Du Plessis has disrespected former UFC champions like Francis Ngannou and Kamaru Usman.
Du Plessis has a huge pressure on his shoulders
Israel Adesanya also expressed his desire to kill Du Plessis. The two face each other inside the Octagon. Both fighters will have a tough challenge against each other and Du Plessis will have the pressure as he will be defending his title for the first time. He will also have the responsibility of putting his country’s name high.
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According to a recent announcement made by the UFC CEO Dana White, if Dricus Du Plessis succeeds in retaining his championship, the promotion will plan to hold an event in South Africa for the first time. However, it will definitely not be easy for “Stillknocks” to get the win, as former featherweight champion and expert Alexander Volkanovski has predicted a win for Adesanya. He stated that Du Plessis’ style of fighting is awkward and that Adesanya will be all set to face the challenge.
