Israel Adesanya hopes Dricus Du Plessis defeats Robert Whittaker at UFC 290.
On Saturday, July 8, International Fight Week will conclude with a stacked fight card inside the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. One of the five main card matchups is a high-stakes middleweight matchup between Du Plessis and Whittaker, with the winner expected to earn a title shot.
During a video posted on his YouTube channel, Israel Adesanya discussed who he wants to defend his title against next:
“I’m excited for this fight. On paper through their resume, people will look at Rob and say, oh, Rob’s got this, Rob’s gonna smoke this guy, blah blah blah, former champion. Look, Dricus fights ugly, but he always finds a way to win. He’s just an ugly fighter, but he finds a way to win… I give him [Du Pessis] a 100% chance [to beat Whittaker]. He’s gonna beat Rob, so my bet is on Dricus ‘The African Warrior’ Du Plessis.”
In October 2019, Adesanya became the UFC middleweight champion with a second-round knockout against Whittaker. Nearly two and a half years later, ‘The Last Stylebender’ emerged victorious in their rematch with a unanimous decision win.
Israel Adesanya plans to ‘torture’ Dricus Du Plessis if they fight
Earlier this year, Israel Adesanya and Dricus Du Plessis sparked a rivalry about their African descent. Du Plessis claimed he was a better representation of Africa because he still lives in South Africa, while Adesanya was born in Nigeria and lives in New Zealand. As a result, a controversial debate was sparked in the MMA community.
During the same video posted on his YouTube channel, Adesanya reiterated his hatred for Du Plessis:
“I really pray he [Du Plessis] gets this done against Rob. I really really pray he gets this done against Rob. I think it’s one for the history books. Dricus, if he wins, I’m gonna punish him, I’m gonna torture him.”
Du Plessis made his UFC debut in October 2020 with a professional MMA record of 14-2. Since then ‘Stillknocks’ has won five consecutive fights, including four inside the distance. The 29-year-old continues to get underestimated by most of the MMA community. Luckily for him, he has a massive opportunity to silence the doubters against Robert Whittaker at UFC 290.
