- Dricus du Plessis reacted to his face-off with Israel Adesanya after his UFC 290 win over Robert Whittaker
- “Stillknocks” is confident Izzy was intimidated by his vibe
Dricus du Plessis has cemented his title shot with a statement TKO win over Robert Whittaker at UFC 290. However, the majority of the buzz is centered on his intense face-off with reigning middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, which “Stillknocks” addressed in his post-fight presser.
Izzy is a Clown
During the face-off, Izzy insulted Du Plessis and his South African heritage by sarcastically and repeatedly calling him the “n-word,” something “Stillknocks” deemed as unbecoming of a gentleman and a true champion.
“You saw it tonight. I’m prepared. I’m prepared for everything he says,” Du Plessis said of Adeasanya. “He’s behaving like a clown in there. That’s not how a champion behaves. That’s not at all how a man behaves. He’s behaving like a child. Conduct yourself like a champion. There’s people looking up to you, and you’re behaving like that. If that sells tickets, good for him. I’ll sell tickets in my way. I’m a gentleman, I’m a man, and I’ll behave like a man.”
ADESANYA ENTERS THE OCTAGON WITH DU PLESSIS #UFC290 pic.twitter.com/WBBsXOEuyE
— UFC (@ufc) July 9, 2023
Vibe of a Champion
Nevertheless, Du Plessis is certain Adesanya felt his energy the moment they came face-to-face inside the Octagon. For “Stillknocks,” Izzy realized at that point that he is looking at a champion already and it was him that seemed like the challenger.
“It’s usually the container that goes into the cage right? So, I mean, even he sees me as a champion already. Even he knows I’m the champion,” Du Plessis pointed out. “And now that he sees me in the cage, he knows what a force I am. He can feel the energy and I can feel how insignificant he is to me when we’ll get in that cage.”
Du Plessis earned his title shot after going undefeated in the UFC for six consecutive fights. In the process, he developed a feud with Adesanya which stemmed from the reigning champ’s issues with “Stillknocks” being a proud South African. It was also the reason why Izzy wanted Du Plessis to beat Whittaker in the title eliminator bout as he vows to put “Stillknocks” in his place the moment they set foot on the cage.
