Tag: dricus du plessis

Eugene Bareman Details UFC 305 Fight Week Interaction With ‘Very Nice’ Dricus Du Plessis & Co.: ‘I Can’t Speak For Israel…’

Israel Adesanya’s coach, Eugene Bareman, recently revealed that despite the fierce animosity between “The Last Stylebender” and Dricus Du Plessis, he shares a surprisingly warm camaraderie with the UFC middleweight champion and his team. Du Plessis is set to make his inaugural title defense against Adesanya in the main event of UFC 305, taking place […]

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Israel Adesanya’s coach, Eugene Bareman, recently revealed that despite the fierce animosity between “The Last Stylebender” and Dricus Du Plessis, he shares a surprisingly warm camaraderie with the UFC middleweight champion and his team.

Du Plessis is set to make his inaugural title defense against Adesanya in the main event of UFC 305, taking place this weekend at the RAC Arena in Perth, Western Australia.

The tension between these middleweight powerhouses has been building for a while, and it almost reached a breaking point during their fiery altercation in the Octagon at UFC 290 in July 2023. Adesanya and Du Plessis were initially targeted to settle their differences at UFC 293 in September 2023, but “Stillknocks” was forced to withdraw due to an injury.

However, UFC 290 wasn’t the first time these rivals crossed paths in public. Back in 2016, while both were training at the Tiger Muay Thai facility in Thailand, Du Plessis accidentally collided with Adesanya. Unlike their recent heated exchanges, this hasty encounter was marked by mutual apologies rather than harsh words.

Beyond the competitive tension, the animosity between them intensified when “Stillknocks” challenged Adesanya’s African identity, questioning the legitimacy of the Nigerian-born fighter who now calls New Zealand home.

However, this discord doesn’t extend to City Kickboxing’s head coach, who maintains a positive relationship with Du Plessis…

Bareman Reveals His Unique Connection With Team Du Plessis, Distinct From Adesanya’s Experience

During a recent interview with Submission Radio, Bareman shared that he enjoys a cordial rapport with Du Plessis and his team despite their complex history with the former middleweight champion.

The esteemed MMA coach recounted first meeting the South African team during a 2016 training session at Tiger Muay Thai. At that time, they established a bond that has only deepened over the years, despite the ups and downs involving his own fighter.

I was actually there; I did some rounds and had a conversation with the boys,” Bareman said. “I was still fighting and sparring, so I remember sparring with the boys and having the video footage where he’s [Du Plessis] sparring Volk [Alexander Volkanovski] and stuff. I’m also in the room sparring somewhere else. Eventually, I got around and we sparred each other as well. Yeah, and I had conversations with them. It was really obvious that they were like brothers, and they were from South Africa, so I remember having some good, decent conversations with them. They’re a very nice team. I can’t speak for Israel, obviously; he’s got his own history, and that’s a little bit different from my history.”

Bareman further noted that he recently interacted with several members of Du Plessis’ team during UFC 305 fight week and found them to be exceptionally respectful.

“They’ve come up to me, made their way through the crowd, and said, ‘Hey Coach Bareman or Coach Eugene, how are you? Good to see you again. It’s been so long. Who would have thought after all these years, after us sparring in that little room, that we would all be in this position?’ I said, ‘Yeah, it’s absolutely amazing.’ I just wish them all the best. There’s some stuff going on, and it’s a good story, I guess. But from my experience back then and now, they’re good people.”

It remains highly uncertain whether Adesanya and Du Plessis will put their bad blood to rest after their fight. However, one thing is certain: the showdown is set to deliver an electrifying spectacle for fans, fueled by the deep-seated rivalry between the two fighters.

Continue Reading Eugene Bareman Details UFC 305 Fight Week Interaction With ‘Very Nice’ Dricus Du Plessis & Co.: ‘I Can’t Speak For Israel…’ at MMA News.

Daniel Cormier on Bad Blood UFC 305 Main Event: ‘Those guys hate each other’ – Dricus du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya

Daniel Cormier on Bad Blood UFC 305 Main Event: 'Those guys hate each other' - Dricus du Plessis vs. Israel AdesanyaDaniel Cormier loves the bad blood between Dricus Du Plessis and Israel Adesanya On Saturday night, the UFC returns…

Daniel Cormier on Bad Blood UFC 305 Main Event: 'Those guys hate each other' - Dricus du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya

Daniel Cormier loves the bad blood between Dricus Du Plessis and Israel Adesanya

On Saturday night, the UFC returns to Perth, Australia with a loaded pay-per-view offering punctuated by a massive middleweight title clash. Du Plessis, the promotion’s reigning 185-pound king, will put his crown on the line for the first time against a man ready to claim it for a third time, Israel Adesanya.

Israel Adesanya vs. Dricus Du Plessis

It’s been more than a year since ‘DDP’ and Adesanya engaged in a racially charged face-off at UFC 290, but it’s clear that neither one’s disdain for the other has dwindled.

Discussing their upcoming title clash, Cormier suggested that ‘The Last Stylebender’ was smart to take the last year off after earning a reputation for being one of the most active champions in UFC history.

“I honestly don’t hate that he took some time off,” Cormier said on the latest episode of The Fighter vs. The Writer. “They were riding this dude so hard. He was riding so hot, for so long.

“I remember right after he lost to Sean Strickland, I posted a picture of the amount of fights he had headlined. I thought to myself, this dude needs a break. It’s not bad that he took some time off. He was fighting a lot. Like, a lot. He was fighting a lot. I don’t know if anyone’s been as active” (h/t MMA Fighting).

Last summer, Adesanya and Du Plessis appeared to be on a collision course, but those plans were briefly derailed when Sean Strickland delivered a lights-out performance against the ‘Stylebender’ at UFC 293, taking the middleweight title with him back to Las Vegas.

In the aftermatch Adesanya opted to take some time off and reassess.

Israel Adesanya vs. Sean Strickland

But when Du Plessis snatched the title away from Strickland just four months later, Adesanya knew it was time to start preparing for a comeback.

The heated rivalry between Du Plessis, who hails from South Africa, and Adesanya can be traced back to comments ‘Stillknocks’ made last year when he claimed that he would be the UFC’s first true African world champion. The comment rubbed Adesanya, who was born in Nigeria, the wrong way, leading to their heated exchange inside the Octagon last summer.

“He don’t want to lose to that dude,” Cormier said of Adesanya. “He don’t want to lose to Dricus. I love how intense it gets between these guys. I like bad blood fights. That’s my thing. I’m not going to lie to you, I love when it’s a bad blood fight, and this one has all the sh*t that I love. Those guys hate each other.”

du plessis adesanya ufc 305 face off stare down

Daniel Cormier says it’s up to Adesanya to prove he still has what it takes to compete

Though Adesanya is, in the eyes of many, the promotion’s greatest middleweight champion of all time, Du Plessis remains convinced that the former two-time titleholder’s best days are behind him.

Whether or not that’s true is entirely up to the 35-year-old ‘Stylebender’ as he looks to make history by becoming the first-ever three-time middleweight champion at UFC 305.

“I think Dricus is almost betting on him not being [the same guy he was before],” Cormier said. “He said it on Countdown. He said, ‘He’s a tremendous fighter but his light is dimming … his light is dimming if it isn’t completely out [already].’ F*cking Dricus du Plessis said that about Izzy.”

“It’s on Izzy to show that’s not the case. It’s [up to him to say], ‘I’m still here and I’m still the man.”

Daniel Cormier Wasn’t Interested In Dricus Du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya Before ‘Uncomfortable’ Bad Blood

It took a some animosity for ex-UFC champion Daniel Cormier to see this weekend’s main event as a matchup worth getting excited for. Middleweight kingpin Dricus Du Plessis will put his title on the line for the first time in the headliner of the UFC 305 pay-per-view, where he’s tasked with stalling the three-time champ […]

Continue Reading Daniel Cormier Wasn’t Interested In Dricus Du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya Before ‘Uncomfortable’ Bad Blood at MMA News.

It took a some animosity for ex-UFC champion Daniel Cormier to see this weekend’s main event as a matchup worth getting excited for.

Middleweight kingpin Dricus Du Plessis will put his title on the line for the first time in the headliner of the UFC 305 pay-per-view, where he’s tasked with stalling the three-time champ ambitions of Israel Adesanya.

The pair will enter the cage inside the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia, in the culmination of a feud sparked well over a year ago as a result of some controversial remarks from the then-future titleholder.

In one of his early post-fight interviews in the UFC, “Stillknocks” branded himself the promotion’s “real African” fighter, referring to his continued stay in the continent. He reiterated that sentiment in regard to his pursuit of gold, vowing to become the first champion who was born, resides, and trains in Africa.

The comments resulted in some tense exchanges with Adesanya, who recently berated his opponent’s “colonialist mindset” at the start of UFC 305 fight week.

With that in mind, the sensitive nature of their bad blood shows no sign of waning as fight night approaches, and one former champ doesn’t see that as a bad thing…

Cormier: ‘I Want To See The Fight’ Because Of Du Plessis & Adesanya’s Feud

During a recent episode of his Good Guy / Bad Guy show alongside Chael Sonnen on ESPN MMA’s YouTube channel, Cormier looked ahead to this weekend’s PPV headliner Down Under.

In terms of the animosity between the pair ever since Adesanya took issue with Du Plessis’ words, Cormier suggested that in spite of the “uncomfortable” nature of the bad blood, it’s still taken his interest in the matchup from zero to 100.

“You don’t wanna say the wrong thing because it’s so easy to offend people on either side of the coin,” Cormier said. “When he (Du Plessis) said it, I thought he would kind of walk it back because of Usman and because of Ngannou and because of Izzy. He’s not walking it back. He’s standing on his idea that he’s the only true African champion. I don’t know that I’d agree…but for me, more importantly than all of that, I want to see the fight.

“If you would have told me, Chael, before all of this…all of this stuff that makes it so hot, that makes it so uncomfortable, I can seriously say to you I wasn’t very interested in those two guys fighting,” Cormier continued. “Now though, Chael, I am so interested in these two fighting because there’s something there. I love great fighters fighting each other, but when there’s a little bit extra, that is what draws me in as a fan. … This one this weekend has two of the best middleweights in the world, but they also have that bad blood, and it makes it fun.”

Du Plessis and Adesanya will finally have the chance to settle their grudge within the steel surroundings of the cage this weekend, 13 months on from their heated faceoff during International Fight Week.

Continue Reading Daniel Cormier Wasn’t Interested In Dricus Du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya Before ‘Uncomfortable’ Bad Blood at MMA News.

Jon Anik Says Israel Adesanya will Unleash the Beast Against Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 305

Jon Anik Israel Adesanya Unleash Beast Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 305Israel Adesanya vs. Dricus Du Plessis will be a middleweight title match for the ages, says UFC commentator Jon…

Jon Anik Israel Adesanya Unleash Beast Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 305

Israel Adesanya vs. Dricus Du Plessis will be a middleweight title match for the ages, says UFC commentator Jon Anik. The UFC 305 main event is set to be a bad-blood showdown between the current champion facing the former king of the division.

Jon Anik Talks Dricus Du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya

South Africa’s Dricus Du Plessis is on an impressive nine-fight win streak with his most recent bout being a title win against Sean Strickland. Along the way to UFC gold, ‘Stillknocks’ has also defeated Derek Brunson, Darren Till, and Robert Whittaker, among others.

‘The Last Stylebender’ Israel Adesanya, the Nigerian-Kiwi athlete, captured the UFC middleweight title by knockout against Robert Whittaker in 2019. he was able to defend this throne in five bouts overall. Lost and won the crown to Alex Pereira before losing it to Strickland.

Adesanya is from Nigeria originally and grew up in New Zealand. Along the way to UFC 305, he has taken great offense to Dricus Du Plessis calling himself an African champion. While Du Plessis is from South Africa, Adesanya says that Du Plessis is not African due to his heritage of being a white guy.

Israel Adesanya
PERTH, AUSTRALIA – JULY 03: Dricus du Plessis – UFC middleweight champion and Israel Adesanya – No.2 UFC middleweight stare off during the UFC 305 On Sale Press Conference on July 03, 2024 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Will Russell/Zuffa LLC)

This bad blood has likely inspired and given a flair to Adesanya says UFC commentator Jon Anik, who will be in the booth at UFC 305. Breaking down the match with Submission Radio, Anik explained:

Now, that’s just the nature, I think, of MMA, and a lot of Championship-level athletes would tell you that if you need that extra motivation at that level, then maybe you should find a different sport. But my gosh, you can be sure that this has unleashed the best type of beast when it comes to Israel’s preparation.

And yeah, on the other side, Israel Adesanya is fighting a dude who’s just like a truck and not a human being who just seemingly won’t be denied because maybe he’s more like a machine than a man. You know, Du Plessis is a fascinating champion. I also think that the nature of this matchup is gonna have him just completely locked in. I’m getting excited just talking to you about it. This is the first time I’m really talking about UFC 305, so when you set it up, I’m just getting all this energy.

It’s just going to be an electric MMA atmosphere when you have an MMA championship matchup like this, with friction and skill upon skill. It just doesn’t get any better.

Israel Adesanya Predicts Dricus Du Plessis Will ‘Shoot Straight Away’ At UFC 305: ‘I Doubt He’ll Want To Strike With Me’

Former two-time UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya expects for his wrestling defense to be required come fight night against Dricus Du Plessis. Adesanya will headline this weekend’s UFC 305 pay-per-view event in competition for Du Plessis’ title. The South African captured the crown by dethroning Sean Strickland, who secured his brief reign by upsetting “The […]

Continue Reading Israel Adesanya Predicts Dricus Du Plessis Will ‘Shoot Straight Away’ At UFC 305: ‘I Doubt He’ll Want To Strike With Me’ at MMA News.

Former two-time UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya expects for his wrestling defense to be required come fight night against Dricus Du Plessis.

Adesanya will headline this weekend’s UFC 305 pay-per-view event in competition for Du Plessis’ title. The South African captured the crown by dethroning Sean Strickland, who secured his brief reign by upsetting “The Last Stylebender” close to a year ago.

The Nigerian-New Zealander has not competed since, instead taking time to rest and recuperate following a period of intense activity after his undisputed title win back in 2019.

The RAC Arena in Perth, Australia, will be the stage for his mixed martial arts comeback, and Du Plessis is the man tasked with preventing a historic three-time feat at 185 pounds for Adesanya.

And while he used his unorthodox but effective striking style to get the better of Robert Whittaker and Strickland in the past, Adesanya expects his South African rival to resort to his grappling when stood across from his kickboxing talents…

Adesanya Ready To Prove Himself In The Grappling Realm Again

During an interview with Stake, Adesanya looked ahead to his first appearance inside the Octagon in 11 months and assessed the matchup that awaits him.

While those backing the champ have seemingly pointed to his forward-pressure style on the feet, which appeared to contribute to Adesanya’s undoing against Strickland, “The Last Stylebender” is predicting a quick grappling entry from Du Plessis.

“I think he’s going to shoot straight away. I doubt he’ll want to strike with me for too long,” Adesanya said. “This is something that people always say, but I’ve shown before that I can wrestle too. It might not be how everyone else wrestles, but I can wrestle too. That’s why I ended up becoming world champion.”

Should that be the case, Adesanya will look to prove those who doubt his grappling arsenal wrong by bringing the fight back to his favored environment, where he wants to deliver on the emphatic performance that both he and teammates like Alexander Volkanovski have predicted for him.

Continue Reading Israel Adesanya Predicts Dricus Du Plessis Will ‘Shoot Straight Away’ At UFC 305: ‘I Doubt He’ll Want To Strike With Me’ at MMA News.

Robert Whittaker offers Dricus du Plessis, Israel Adesanya UFC 305 fight prediction

Robert Whittaker offers Dricus du Plessis, Israel Adesanya UFC 305 fight predictionSharing the Octagon with both ahead of this weekend’s middleweight title fight, former champion, Robert Whittaker has claimed Saturday’s…

Robert Whittaker offers Dricus du Plessis, Israel Adesanya UFC 305 fight prediction

Sharing the Octagon with both ahead of this weekend’s middleweight title fight, former champion, Robert Whittaker has claimed Saturday’s clash between Dricus du Plessis and Israel Adesanya is very much a “50-50” pairing between the duo.

Whittaker, the current number three ranked middleweight challenger and a former undisputed titleholder, has been sidelined since he took main event honors at UFC Saudi Arabia back in June, stopping Ikram Aliskerov with a dominant opening round knockout win.

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And already slated to make his return in a title-eliminator clash, Whittaker is set to draw the unbeaten, Khamzat Chimaev in a five round co-main event at UFC 308 in October, returning to Abu Dhabi, UAE.

Robert Whittaker offers prediction for UFC 305 title fight

Sharing his thoughts on this weekend’s title fight showdown between South African star, du Plessis and two-fight rival, Adesanya – Whittaker claimed the pairing is likely going to go down to the proverbial wire.

Dricus du Plessis mocks Israel Adesanya over kiss me jibe ahead of UFC 305 I'm not a dog

“If I had to make a pick, I’d say that there’s a 50% chance, this is my confidence here,” Robert Whittaker said on the MMArcade podcast. “I’m sitting on the fence, but I mean it. There’s a 50-50 odds. That’s how much I think either one could sway. I think there’s a 50% chance that Izzy (Israel Adesanya) kind of keeps him at the end of his jab, utilizes that spacing, doesn’t get his back put against the fence. Defends some takedowns but ultimately wins by decision.”

Whittaker UFC Saudi

“I also think there’s a 50% chance Dricus (du Plessis) does what he did to (Sean) Stirkcland, pushes into that space, takes him down, wears him out, turns it into a dog fight,” Robert Whittaker explained. “Doesn’t get a finish, but drags it out to the point where he’s still going to remain the champion.”