Dricus Du Plessis doesn’t think Israel Adesanya would have gone the distance with them had they fought.
In the main event of UFC 293, Adesanya was looking to defend his middleweight title against Sean Strickland in a fight he was a massive favorite in. Originally, the plan was for Du Plessis to get that title fight, but an injury forced him out and Strickland stepped in.
Heading into the fight, many expected Adesanya to cruise to a decision win. However, in the first round, Strickland dropped Adesanya and nearly finished him. Strickland then cruised to a decision win to become the new middleweight champion and Du Plessis knew right away ‘The Last Stylebender’ was off.
“The first thing I thought, in the first round, even before the fight started, I told everybody, ‘Izzy looks off… I told them even before the fight started, ‘Izzy looks weird.’ I don’t know what it is, I don’t know if it’s extra motivation, but it’s different,” Du Plessis said on The MMA Hour. “Something’s weird. And when the fight started, I said, not even a minute in, ‘Izzy looks off.’ Some people saying it was just Sean Strickland shutting him down. That’s not the fact of the matter. Izzy didn’t fight the way that Izzy can fight. That was the worst Izzy we’ve ever seen in the cage.”
Du Plessis vows he would’ve finished Adesanya
With Dricus Du Plessis thinking that was the worst Israel Adesanya performance in a long time, the South African says he’s lucky he wasn’t in the Octagon with him. If he was healthy to take that fight, Du Plessis believes he would have finished Adesanya in the first round.
“He wouldn’t have gotten up from that flurry after Strickland dropped him,” Du Plessis said… “100 percent, 100 percent. If I fought that version of Israel Adesanya, do you think Robert Whittaker would have beaten that version of Adesanya? Yes. That fight went a round-and-a-half with me and Whittaker. There’s no way (Adesanya) would have seen the second round.”
Although Dricus Du Plessis thinks he would have finished Israel Adesanya there is no way of telling if it would’ve happened. As for Du Plessis’ next fight, it’s uncertain if he will get the title shot or will need to take another fight.
