Dricus Du Plessis breaks silence after being called the N-word by Israel Adesanya as UFC grudge match is confirmed
DRICUS DU PLESSIS has branded Israel Adesanya a “CLOWN” over his X-rated UFC 290 rant.
The middleweight champion took part in a heated face-off with DDP last weekend after the South African scored a shock second-round TKO victory over Robert Whittaker.
Adesanya went on a blistering rant at the former KSW star, labelling him his “African brother” and repeatedly calling him “my n***a.”
Du Plessis retorted by insisting he was “no brother” of the Nigerian-born New Zealander – who took umbrage with his controversial “African fighter” comments in March – but saved his criticism for the post-fight press conference.
‘Still Knocks’ said: “I’m prepared for everything he says. 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’s fury towards Du Plessis also stemmed from his suggestion that his, Kamaru Usman and Francis Ngannou‘s UFC title wins weren’t true victories for the continent.
During his expletive-filled rant, he claimed a DNA test would tell the former EFC welter and middleweight champion Du Plessis where he’s “from”.
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The pair will look to settle their bitter feud in a Sydney showdown in less than nine weeks’ time.
When asked for his prediction, Du Plessis said: “I’ll knock him out just like I did tonight. We saw his fight with Alex [Pereira].
“If I get him to the floor, it is not even a fight. It’s not even a fight.
“If I just get my hands on him, it’s not even a fight. I will manhandle him. I’ve done it before, and I’ll do it again.
“You are as good as your last performance. What did his last performance look like against Whittaker?
“Yeah, you beat him. It was a close fight. What did my last performance against Whittaker look like?
“So right now, that’s how I plan on beating him.
“The same way I beat Whittaker tonight, by implementing the game plan and sticking to my style and doing what we do best, listening to my coaches.
“Listening to … the great teammates I have … coming up with game plans with this awkward style.
“This style that looks completely wrong to so many people. I’m the No. 1 contender in the world right now. So it’s time to put some respect on that.”
It didn’t take long for Adesanya to get wind of Du Plessis’ criticism, to which he replied: “Say it to my face.”