Tag: dricus du plessis

Israel Adesanya Opens Up On Octagon Exchange With Dricus Du Plessis At UFC 305: ‘If I See Him, It’s Love’

Israel Adesanya recently shed light on his post-fight interaction following his defeat to Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 305. Adesanya’s bid to reclaim the middleweight title for a third time ended in heartbreak as he fell to a fourth-round submission against “Stillknocks” last weekend at the RAC Arena in Perth, Western Australia. Adesanya started the […]

Continue Reading Israel Adesanya Opens Up On Octagon Exchange With Dricus Du Plessis At UFC 305: ‘If I See Him, It’s Love’ at MMA News.

Israel Adesanya recently shed light on his post-fight interaction following his defeat to Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 305.

Adesanya’s bid to reclaim the middleweight title for a third time ended in heartbreak as he fell to a fourth-round submission against “Stillknocks” last weekend at the RAC Arena in Perth, Western Australia.

Adesanya started the bout with impressive precision, appearing to have the fight under control. However, Du Plessis dramatically altered the course of the contest in the championship round, landing a torrent of potent blows that left the former champion reeling. The South African expertly seized the opening to lock in a decisive rear-naked choke to conclude the bout.

Though the build-up to this fight was marked by a fierce exchange of verbal jabs, particularly revolving around the cultural clash narrative, Adesanya and Du Plessis left the animosity behind once they settled their differences in the Octagon.

After the fight concluded, the middleweight rivals were seen exchanging cordial words in the Octagon before the result was announced. “Stillknocks” promptly paid tribute to his opponent, hailing the Nigerian-born Kiwi as a “legend” and a future “Hall of Famer.” In turn, “The Last Stylebender” hinted at a potential future camaraderie with Du Plessis, even suggesting they might hang out as he spoke with UFC color commentator Daniel Cormier.

Adesanya On Du Plessis: ‘I Don’t Think He’s A Bad Person’

During a recent video on his YouTube channel, Adesanya opened up about the exchange he had with Du Plessis after their bout. “The Last Stylebender” revealed that their words were filled with mutual respect and that his perception of the South African fighter has since evolved.

“Oh, he just gave me a lot of props, a lot of love, a lot of respect,” Adesanya said. “I accepted it and I shook his hand. Then, after his interview, when we were leaving the cage, we just talked. He said ‘sorry,’ maybe—I can’t remember—but he just gave me a lot of props. He said, ‘Hey, you know, I’m a big fan,’ and of course, I was like, ‘I know.’ And I said, ‘Look, look how far we’ve come from way back then—who would have thought? Now we’re here.’ I was like, ‘f**k yeah,’ and then we hugged. I said, ‘Look, I respect you, I appreciate you.’ I don’t think DDP is a bad person. I don’t know him. Again, we’re not friends, we don’t know each other, but we can be cool—we’re cool, and I respect him.”

Adesanya further stressed that any lingering grudges against Du Plessis are now a thing of the past.

“It was never beef. Again, when I say beef, it’s just like you have to fight someone—you don’t have to like them. You don’t have to like them. Again, he didn’t like me, I didn’t like him, but I think now we have a healthy respect for each other. I won’t say we’re BFFs or we’re friends, but if I see him, it’s love. I’ll give him a hug, I’ll dap him up.”

The rivalry between Adesanya and Du Plessis had seen its ups and downs over the past year, starting when Adesanya held the title, and Du Plessis vowed to become the UFC’s first “true African champion.”

Continue Reading Israel Adesanya Opens Up On Octagon Exchange With Dricus Du Plessis At UFC 305: ‘If I See Him, It’s Love’ at MMA News.

Darren Till plots UFC return, Dricus du Plessis rematch: ‘I might come back just to beat him’

Darren Till plots UFC return, Dricus du Plessis rematch: 'I might come back just to beat him'Eagerly watching on at UFC 305 over the course of the weekend, former title challenger, Darren Till has claimed…

Darren Till plots UFC return, Dricus du Plessis rematch: 'I might come back just to beat him'

Eagerly watching on at UFC 305 over the course of the weekend, former title challenger, Darren Till has claimed he would consider a return to the Octagon to take on incumbent middleweight champion, Dricus du Plessis – beating him and then leaving once more.

Till, a former undisputed welterweight title challenger, departed the promotion at the beginning of last year – upon his own request as he dealt with a slew of recurring injuries.

till ddp

Without a walk in mixed martial arts since the December of the prior year, Liverpool striker, Darren Till dropped a stunning third round neck crank submission loss to then-contender, du Plessis – in another defeat for the former welterweight star since his move to the middleweight limit. 

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Over the course of the weekend, du Plessis, who is yet to suffer defeat in the promotion, turned in the first successful defense of his middleweight crown – stopping former two-time champion, Israel Adesanya in a stunning fourth round rear-naked choke win in Perth in the main event of UFC 305. 

Darren Till eyes rematch with Dricus du Plessis after UFC 305

And jabbing at Team Kaobon striker, Till in the immediate aftermath of his submission of Adesanya – who offered du Plessis advice on how to beat the City Kickboxing star, the former Octagon favorite has now vowed to return to action to topple the Pretoria native.

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“I might come back the (sic) UFC just to beat DDP & leave again,” Darren Till posted on his official X account. “What you saying @danawhite Hunter.”

Hit with a slew of fight offers in the aftermath of his win against Adesanya, du Plessis weighed up a rematch with already-pegged top-contender, Sean Strickland – as well as former middleweight gold holder, Alex Pereira.

The Brazilian has since achieved gold at the light heavyweight limit, but stunningly offered to make one final 185lbs appearance to take on South African champion, du Plessis. 

Classy Kamaru Usman Reacts To Du Plessis’ UFC 305 Win: ‘We’ve Moved On From Three Kings To Four Horsemen’

Kamaru Usman recently expressed his views on Dricus Du Plessis’ impressive win over Israel Adesanya at UFC 305. “Stillknocks” retained his UFC middleweight championship in commanding style last weekend, submitting Adesanya with a fourth-round rear-naked choke in a thrilling contest at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. In a fiercely contested bout where neither fighter […]

Continue Reading Classy Kamaru Usman Reacts To Du Plessis’ UFC 305 Win: ‘We’ve Moved On From Three Kings To Four Horsemen’ at MMA News.

Kamaru Usman recently expressed his views on Dricus Du Plessis’ impressive win over Israel Adesanya at UFC 305.

“Stillknocks” retained his UFC middleweight championship in commanding style last weekend, submitting Adesanya with a fourth-round rear-naked choke in a thrilling contest at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia.

In a fiercely contested bout where neither fighter held back, Du Plessis displayed remarkable grit and determination. As the fight entered the championship rounds, the South African unleashed a relentless flurry of punches that left “The Last Stylebender” reeling. Seizing the momentum, the defending champion secured a takedown and swiftly transitioned to lock in a decisive submission.

Despite a rivalry that had flared up and taken an ugly turn on multiple occasions, Du Plessis and Adesanya finally put their animosity to rest after their historic clash. The bout, steeped in a fierce cultural clash narrative, marked the UFC’s first-ever all-African title fight.

Adesanya, originally born in Lagos, Nigeria, and later relocating to New Zealand at a young age, had previously accused Du Plessis of undermining the legacy of the “African Kings”. This tension began when “Stillknocks” had boldly claimed he wanted to be the ‘real’ African UFC champion.

The title of “African Kings” was a prestigious moniker bestowed upon Adesanya, alongside Usman and Francis Ngannou, during a time when the trio simultaneously held UFC belts, representing the continent on the global stage.

“The Nigerian Nightmare” provided a nuanced perspective about the heated feud heading into UFC 305 and also his thoughts on where Du Plessis fits into UFC’s African elite.

Usman Includes Du Plessis In UFC’s African Elite

During a recent episode of the Pound 4 Pound podcast with Henry Cejudo, Usman delved into Du Plessis’ victory over Adesanya at UFC 305. However, the conversation quickly escalated into a lively debate when the former UFC welterweight champion voiced his displeasure over Cejudo’s lighthearted remark – where he dubbed Du Plessis the “Real African King.”

“I understand it was a whole marketing thing for Dricus Du Plessis, which he might not have necessarily meant in the way that Israel might have taken it,” Usman said. “But you have to be careful because it’s dangerous—it’s very, very dangerous. You have to be careful with what you say because now we’re in a position to influence the masses in the world. So, with power—I say it all the time—with great power comes great responsibility. When you have that platform and you have that mic in your hand, you have to be careful with what you say.”

“The Nigerian Nightmare” went on to emphasize that Du Plessis is actually the fourth African champion.

“So to say, ‘Oh, I’m the real African,’ that’s completely crazy. And for you [Cejudo] to say that perpetually, ‘Oh, he’s the real African king,’ I know you’re just joking, but it’s not—this is how division continues to be perpetuated. Dricus Du Plessis is the fourth African champion right now, so there are four horsemen. We’ve moved on from the three kings to where now it’s four horsemen. So to continue to perpetuate this whole ‘Oh, African king’ or this or that, that’s ridiculous.”

Continue Reading Classy Kamaru Usman Reacts To Du Plessis’ UFC 305 Win: ‘We’ve Moved On From Three Kings To Four Horsemen’ at MMA News.

Classy Kamaru Usman Reacts To Du Plessis’ UFC 305 Win: ‘We’ve Moved On From Three Kings To Four Horsemen’

Kamaru Usman recently expressed his views on Dricus Du Plessis’ impressive win over Israel Adesanya at UFC 305. “Stillknocks” retained his UFC middleweight championship in commanding style last weekend, submitting Adesanya with a fourth-round rear-naked choke in a thrilling contest at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. In a fiercely contested bout where neither fighter […]

Continue Reading Classy Kamaru Usman Reacts To Du Plessis’ UFC 305 Win: ‘We’ve Moved On From Three Kings To Four Horsemen’ at MMA News.

Kamaru Usman recently expressed his views on Dricus Du Plessis’ impressive win over Israel Adesanya at UFC 305.

“Stillknocks” retained his UFC middleweight championship in commanding style last weekend, submitting Adesanya with a fourth-round rear-naked choke in a thrilling contest at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia.

In a fiercely contested bout where neither fighter held back, Du Plessis displayed remarkable grit and determination. As the fight entered the championship rounds, the South African unleashed a relentless flurry of punches that left “The Last Stylebender” reeling. Seizing the momentum, the defending champion secured a takedown and swiftly transitioned to lock in a decisive submission.

Despite a rivalry that had flared up and taken an ugly turn on multiple occasions, Du Plessis and Adesanya finally put their animosity to rest after their historic clash. The bout, steeped in a fierce cultural clash narrative, marked the UFC’s first-ever all-African title fight.

Adesanya, originally born in Lagos, Nigeria, and later relocating to New Zealand at a young age, had previously accused Du Plessis of undermining the legacy of the “African Kings”. This tension began when “Stillknocks” had boldly claimed he wanted to be the ‘real’ African UFC champion.

The title of “African Kings” was a prestigious moniker bestowed upon Adesanya, alongside Usman and Francis Ngannou, during a time when the trio simultaneously held UFC belts, representing the continent on the global stage.

“The Nigerian Nightmare” provided a nuanced perspective about the heated feud heading into UFC 305 and also his thoughts on where Du Plessis fits into UFC’s African elite.

Usman Includes Du Plessis In UFC’s African Elite

During a recent episode of the Pound 4 Pound podcast with Henry Cejudo, Usman delved into Du Plessis’ victory over Adesanya at UFC 305. However, the conversation quickly escalated into a lively debate when the former UFC welterweight champion voiced his displeasure over Cejudo’s lighthearted remark – where he dubbed Du Plessis the “Real African King.”

“I understand it was a whole marketing thing for Dricus Du Plessis, which he might not have necessarily meant in the way that Israel might have taken it,” Usman said. “But you have to be careful because it’s dangerous—it’s very, very dangerous. You have to be careful with what you say because now we’re in a position to influence the masses in the world. So, with power—I say it all the time—with great power comes great responsibility. When you have that platform and you have that mic in your hand, you have to be careful with what you say.”

“The Nigerian Nightmare” went on to emphasize that Du Plessis is actually the fourth African champion.

“So to say, ‘Oh, I’m the real African,’ that’s completely crazy. And for you [Cejudo] to say that perpetually, ‘Oh, he’s the real African king,’ I know you’re just joking, but it’s not—this is how division continues to be perpetuated. Dricus Du Plessis is the fourth African champion right now, so there are four horsemen. We’ve moved on from the three kings to where now it’s four horsemen. So to continue to perpetuate this whole ‘Oh, African king’ or this or that, that’s ridiculous.”

Continue Reading Classy Kamaru Usman Reacts To Du Plessis’ UFC 305 Win: ‘We’ve Moved On From Three Kings To Four Horsemen’ at MMA News.

Dricus Du Plessis Kicks Steve Erceg When He’s Down After UFC 305 Loss For Labeling Him A ‘6/10 Fighter’

Dricus Du Plessis has always had his fair share of critics during his UFC run, despite being undefeated inside the Octagon. During his climb up the middleweight ladder, many were critical of his ability to fight at a constant pace over three rounds due to him becoming visibly tired in some of his earlier fights. […]

Continue Reading Dricus Du Plessis Kicks Steve Erceg When He’s Down After UFC 305 Loss For Labeling Him A ‘6/10 Fighter’ at MMA News.

Dricus Du Plessis has always had his fair share of critics during his UFC run, despite being undefeated inside the Octagon.

During his climb up the middleweight ladder, many were critical of his ability to fight at a constant pace over three rounds due to him becoming visibly tired in some of his earlier fights.

Even since there has been an improvement from “Stillknocks” in this area, there is often conversation about his unorthodox, and at times reckless-appearing approach which lacks finesse – but has been incredibly effective for him.

This was case and point in the main event of UFC 305 this past weekend where he was able to walk down and catch Israel Adesanya with big looping punches to hurt him and find the submission win in the fourth round.

Unfortunately for those that don’t rate the champion’s technique, he has been keeping receipts.

Dricus Du Plessis Reminds Steve Erceg Of His Criticism After UFC 305

After successfully defending the middleweight title for the first time, Du Plessis made sure to circle back to a few people who had doubted him or talked down on his ability during fight week.

There are clear elements of his game that you wouldn’t necessarily teach a young fighter but the champ knows how to make it work for him.

One of the criticisms that clearly he took notice of was Steve Erceg labelling him as a 6/10 overall fighter due to some of his more unpredictable tendencies.

Erceg was stopped in front of his home fans in Perth this past weekend with Kai Kara-France securing a massive first-round win in the co-main event.

Via his Instagram story, Du Plessis took a moment to remind the former flyweight title challenger of what he had said after they ended up on opposite sides of the win column on August 17.

MMA fans reacted to the champion getting the last word in via social media.

“Dude has all the receipts. He’s coming for everyone.”

“this guy is against the whole world right now”

“Tbf erceg gave himself a 7, it seems like he just has a really high bar”

“If everyone doubted me like how they did I’d come back for everyone too”

Read also: Dricus Du Plessis Embraces Israel Adesanya’s Parents Backstage At UFC 305: ‘You Have An Incredible Son’

Continue Reading Dricus Du Plessis Kicks Steve Erceg When He’s Down After UFC 305 Loss For Labeling Him A ‘6/10 Fighter’ at MMA News.

Sean O’Malley Talks UFC 305 Main Event, ‘Coin Flip’ Prediction For Du Plessis’ Next Fight

Dricus Du Plessis retained his middleweight title at UFC 305 by submitting former champion Israel Adesanya in a back-and-forth encounter. Though he was able to secure the tap in the fourth round, it was the striking from “Stillknocks” that led to the finish. His unorthodox and sometimes reckless approach to moving through ranges whilst looking […]

Continue Reading Sean O’Malley Talks UFC 305 Main Event, ‘Coin Flip’ Prediction For Du Plessis’ Next Fight at MMA News.

Dricus Du Plessis retained his middleweight title at UFC 305 by submitting former champion Israel Adesanya in a back-and-forth encounter.

Though he was able to secure the tap in the fourth round, it was the striking from “Stillknocks” that led to the finish.

His unorthodox and sometimes reckless approach to moving through ranges whilst looking to land big punches found a home and hurt “The Last Stylebender” which was the beginning of the end.

On his YouTube channel, bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley gave his immediate reaction to the main event where he highlighted Du Plessis’ blitz assault and gave props to both men.

“DDP has some funny a** like blitzes that just looks so sloppy and weird but he connects somehow and they’re heavy f****** punches and Izzy did look good. He looked like he was in good shape, defended that good takedown a few times. Like he said, he made a few small little mistakes. I mean I thought he was winning a decision, close fight. DDP showed why he’s the champ.”

Sean O’Malley Believes Dricus Du Plessis vs Sean Strickland 2 Will Be Another Close Fight

In the aftermath of this past weekend’s event in Perth, it appears that the next time Du Plessis will be back inside the Octagon will be for his first rematch in the UFC.

The South African champion won the title by defeating Sean Strickland earlier this year in a split decision, that the American passionately believes he should have gotten.

O’Malley gave his thoughts on that fight having already seen how difficult it was to separate them at UFC 297.

“Sean Strickland is fighting the winner, we already knew that. DDP versus Sean Strickland 2, the first fight was very, very, very close, could have gave it to Sean Strickland. He was the champion at the time and I feel like if you’re going to beat the champ in a split decision, it’s got to be more dominant than that so that was a very, very close fight, that’s going to be a fun one to run back.”

“Suga” went on to say that he believes this particular match-up is won or lost by who performs better on that night due to their styles.

“I think those guys can fight 10 times, it’s a coin flip every time. I don’t think it’s going to be f****** one guy is going to dominate. Those two styles are just going to be whoever shows up better on that night.”

Read also: Dana White Reacts To UFC Fighters Brawling At PFL Event With Jibe At The Rival Promotion

Continue Reading Sean O’Malley Talks UFC 305 Main Event, ‘Coin Flip’ Prediction For Du Plessis’ Next Fight at MMA News.