UFC middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis is locked in to prepare for his first title defense, which will come at UFC 305 against Israel Adesanya. Without looking past the former champion, Du Plessis is still keeping an eye on who else could challenge him for the title in the near future, with it likely coming […]
UFC middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis is locked in to prepare for his first title defense, which will come at UFC 305 against Israel Adesanya.
Without looking past the former champion, Du Plessis is still keeping an eye on who else could challenge him for the title in the near future, with it likely coming down to two potential opponents.
Both Sean Strickland and Robert Whittaker have held the title in the past and they’ve rebounded in recent fights from losses to the current champion.
After Whittaker stopped Ikram Aliskerov, who was a late-notice replacement for Khamzat Chimaev, and Strickland convincingly defeated Paulo Costa, a fight between them makes a lot of sense to the champion.
Dricus Du Plessis Says Sean Strickland vs. Robert Whittaker Should & Will Happen Next
Strickland has made it very clear that after believing he beat Du Plessis in January and then getting the win over Costa at UFC 302, he wants to sit out in order to wait for his second shot at the title.
The champion believes that with Strickland and Whittaker both having claims to be the next in line, a number one contender’s match-up should and will take place in the near future.
“Stillknocks” spoke about this option and why he wants to see his two former opponents meet for the first time inside the Octagon.
“In my opinion, how I see this playing out, you cannot not do the Whittaker versus Strickland fight. I think that’s the fight that needs to happen. Now I know Strickland when we’re at the presser said Whittaker is nothing but a blitz and it’s an easy fight and now he doesn’t want to take that fight. Let me tell you one thing, Robert Whittaker is no easy fight for anybody. Strickland, also an incredible fighter, and that is just a fight that makes so much sense. That’s a fight on it’s own, you can main event that fight on any card and I honestly think that’s how it’s gonna play out.”
UFC Middleweight Champion Dricus Du Plessis had some strong words for Israel Adesanya when they went face to face for the first time since confirmation of their upcoming fight. In a bout that has been a long time in the making, Du Plessis will put his 185-pound gold on the line against the division’s former […]
UFC Middleweight Champion Dricus Du Plessis had some strong words for Israel Adesanya when they went face to face for the first time since confirmation of their upcoming fight.
In a bout that has been a long time in the making, Du Plessis will put his 185-pound gold on the line against the division’s former two-time champ at UFC 305 on August 17.
That matchup came about after number one contender “Stillknocks” was unable to make the turnaround after his victory over Robert Whittaker through injury. While that delayed the settling of Du Plessis and Adesanya’s grudge, the South African’s subsequent title crowning in Toronto, Canada, this past January brought it back to the surface.
Du Plessis Uses Golf Jibe To Outline Plan To ‘Retire’ Adesanya
As expected, the historical and sensitive nature of Du Plessis and Adesanya’s heated rivalry was a topic of conversation on stage, with the latter again commenting on the South African’s claim regarding African champs.
After reiterating his defense of that controversy from last year, Du Plessis went in a different direction, using Adesanya’s apparent newfound fondness for golf to predict his impending retirement.
“I’m glad you took up golf, because that’s a retirement sport,” Du Plessis said.
During the presser, the pair also engaged in one of the lengthiest and most intense faceoffs in recent memory on stage.
Suffice to say, there will be plenty more of that when the pair cross paths for promotional events during UFC 305 fight week in August, at the end of which Adesanya will hope to emerge with a third middleweight rule underway.
Welcome to MMA News Today, a daily feature running down the most interesting stories in the world of mixed martial arts. For July 3, 2024, we’re taking a look at: Dricus Du Plessis Makes Joking Remark To Israel Adesanya During Heated Faceoff Dricus Du Plessis and Israel Adesanya came face to face once again during the press conference […]
Welcome to MMA News Today, a daily feature running down the most interesting stories in the world of mixed martial arts. For July 3, 2024, we’re taking a look at:
Du Plessis has the best reply to Adesanya jab
Jones gives his side of the story on the use of magic and spirits
Diaz knew his own value before taking McGregor opportunity
Dricus Du Plessis Makes Joking Remark To Israel Adesanya During Heated Faceoff
Before the two rivals meet at UFC 305 on August 17 in Perth, they shared an incredibly tense staredown that is sure to build excitement for their eventual meeting.
Adesanya appeared to be the one to say something to Du Plessis first during the staredown which the middleweight champion was asked about after the press conference.
He jokingly made remarks about something that Adesanya’s last opponent, Sean Strickland, also chose to make fun of throughout the build-up to their fight.
Du Plessis referenced a video of Adesanya and his dog which appears to be a bit of a sore subject for “The Last Stylebender”, as was proven after the Strickland fight.
“I think he said, ‘Don’t kiss me’, as far as I know. I said I’m no dog so I won’t and you know, I don’t really know what he was saying. I wasn’t really focused on what he was saying.”
Jon Jones Says He Has Experienced ‘Spirit Channelling’ & Magic’ For Himself Following UFC 303 Controversy
Alex Pereira and Ji?í Procházka are two of the most intense individuals in the sport when it comes to fight night.
Before UFC 303 got underway, Procházka spoke about how he believed “Poatan” was using the help of magic and spirits in his fight, asking him to abstain in their rematch.
Whilst Pereira offered a classy response to this in his post-fight interview after beating the former champion, UFC heavyweight champ Jon Jones is the latest to weigh in on this.
He posted on social media about how there is some truth to this based on his experiences of stepping into certain arenas and coming up against specific opponents.
“There has been a lot of talk about spirit channeling and magic in MMA lately. This stuff is all very real. I felt all types of weird energies walking into those arenas. Looking certain opponents in the eyes. I want to let you all know that Jesus Christ is king, he is and always will be undefeated. Every knee shall bow.”
There has been a lot of talk about spirit channeling and magic in MMA lately. This stuff is all very real. I felt all types of weird energies walking into those arenas. Looking certain opponents in the eyes. I want to let you all know that Jesus Christ is king, he is and always…
Nate Diaz Reveals How He Negotiated A Much Higher Purse For His First Fight With Conor McGregor
Nate Diaz has always been a cult icon in combat sports but UFC 196 was a moment that changed his life forever.
The Stockton fighter became a huge name overnight when he stepped into the main event on late notice to fight Conor McGregor in one of the most iconic moments in the history of the sport.
Diaz was well compensated for stepping up to save the day in place of Rafael Dos Anjos but he did have to put his foot down in order to get a much higher purse than was initially offered.
He told MMA great Demetrious Johnson during an interview on The MightyCast how he knew what his own value was at the time and made sure he was suitably compensated.
“At the time, it was (the biggest pay check I’d received). But they were trying to give me pennies for that too,” Diaz said. “I was like, ‘Yeah, right. I know what I’m doing here. I’ve been through it.’ I’d already been into it with the organization about that. So they called me and they were like, ‘Hey, while you’re going to do this, we’re going to give you a million dollars.’ I was like, ‘Hey, you’re gonna give me more than that.’
“So I got like five times more than that because of that. I knew the game by then and I was like, ‘F*ck that,’” Diaz continued. “Remember when I was telling you about how if I fight every two months, I could be rich. That basic math attitude kind of f*cking times 10, times 100, over and over again. So I knew what it was with the whole money in the business and sh*t. I might not be educated but I’m not stupid.”
Dricus du Plessis has ramped up his rivalry with incoming UFC 305 headliner, Israel Adesanya following last night’s tense…
Dricus du Plessis has ramped up his rivalry with incoming UFC 305 headliner, Israel Adesanya following last night’s tense pre-fight press conference in Perth, poking funat the ex-champion’s warning against “kissing” him during their heated staredown.
du Plessis, the current undisputed middleweight champion, is slated to make his return in August, taking on former two-weight titleholder, Adesanya in his first defense of the divisional throne.
Winning his crown back in January in the main event of UFC 297, du Plessis took home a close, split decision win over common-foe, Sean Strickland, minting himself as the undisputed middleweight champion to boot.
And sharing the stage with City Kickboxing striker, Adesanya overnight at their pre-fight press conference ahead of UFC 305 – du Plessis was once more accused of disrespecting former champions hailing from Africa – namely Kamaru Usman, Francis Ngannou, and the above-mentioned, Adesanya.
Dricus du Plessis pokes fun at Israel Adesanya once more
Engaging in a brief spat of back-and-forth verbals, Pretoria native, du Plessis – who has yet to suffer defeat inside the Octagon, claimed Adesanya urged him not to lock lips during their face-off, before he then hit out at prior accusations of the ex-champion kissing his dog.
“I think he (Israel Adesanya) said, ‘Don’t kiss me,’” Dricus du Plessis told Submission Radio. “As far as I know, he said, ‘Don’t go kissing me now,’ I said, ‘I’m no dog, so i won’t.’ I don’t know what he was saying. I wasn’t really focused on what he was saying. I didn’t say anything. You know, I’m not here to say anything to him. The date is set. There’s no need to be saying anything.”
Who wins at UFC 305 next month: Dricus du Plessis or Israel Adesanya?
The top fighters confirmed to be in action at UFC 305 on August 17 took to the stage for an on-sale press conference in the event’s host city this week. Mixed martial arts’ leading promotion will return to Perth next month for the first time since last February. On that occasion, the RAC Arena played […]
The top fighters confirmed to be in action at UFC 305 on August 17 took to the stage for an on-sale press conference in the event’s host city this week.
Mixed martial arts’ leading promotion will return to Perth next month for the first time since last February. On that occasion, the RAC Arena played host to local favorite Alexander Volkanovski’s competitive lightweight title challenge against Islam Makhachev.
This time around, the venue will mark the location for the long-awaited comeback of another standout from the Oceanic region, former two-time UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya.
Also on the lineup is a teammate of Adesanya’s in Kai Kara-France. With concussion issues keeping him out of a fight close to home 10 months ago and leaving him without Octagon action since a narrow loss to Amir Albazi last May, “Don’t Blink” will look to reinsert his name into the title conversation at flyweight.
He likely won’t have the backing of the crowd on August 17, however, as he goes up against Perth’s own Steve Erceg. The contest will mark “Astroboy’s” first since falling short of Alexandre Pantoja’s 125-pound gold at UFC 301 in Rio de Janeiro a couple of months ago.
With Fight Club Pre-Sale starting on Tuesday, the promotion hosted a press conference in Perth, where Du Plessis, Adesanya, Kara-France, and Erceg all had mics in hand.
See below for a full replay of the presser, followed by all the highlights and one of the longest, most intense faceoffs in recent memory between the two UFC 305 headliners.
UFC middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis thinks a win over Israel Adesanya will put him into the GOAT conversation…
UFC middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis thinks a win over Israel Adesanya will put him into the GOAT conversation at middleweight.
Du Plessis is undefeated in the UFC and coming off a decision win over Sean Strickland to win the middleweight title. Heading into his first title defense at UFC 305 in Australia against Adesanya, he believes a win over the former champ will help cement his legacy as an all-time great.
“I’ve always looked at Israel Adesanya as the benchmark,” Du Plessis told Fox West Texas. “Now, ‘Izzy’ became a champion a long time ago, and I’ve looked at him and always knew this is where I need to be if I ever want to be the best in the world. This is the benchmark.
“He is one of the greatest to ever do it, and this fight for me is going to put me in that position. This is where I take over as one of the greatest to ever do it. This is where my years of building and climbing that ladder is going to a point where I am now the guy that’s one of the greatest to ever do it.”
Mandatory Credit: Vaughan Ridley
Although Du Plessis believes he can enter the GOAT conversation with a win over Adesanya, the South African will need several more title defenses to be considered the 185lbs GOAT due to the reign of Anderson Silva. But, beating Adesanya no doubt puts him on the right track.
Dricus Du Plessis says Israel Adesanya will prove he belongs
Although Dricus Du Plessis enters his UFC 305 fight as the middleweight champion, he knows people are overlooking him and counting him out.
With that, Dricus Du Plessis says his fight will prove to everyone just how good he is and prove he is the legit champion.
“He’s a very smart fighter,” du Plessis said on Adesanya. “He figures out his opponents, and he sets a lot of traps. He does it incredibly well. So, for me, this fight is just like how beating Robert Whittaker was. It’s a fight that people don’t think you’re going to win. It’s a hard fight.
“I’m fighting against arguably one of the greatest middleweights ever, and I have to go out there and prove that I am that guy. That’s what this fight is going to mean to me. It’s going to mean I told you I belong here. This fight is going to mean that Dricus du Plessis is now in the conversation of being one of the greatest middleweights ever,” Du Plessis said.
Du Plessis is 21-2 as a pro and is coming off a split decision win over Sean Strickland to become the middleweight champion. He’s 7-0 in the UFC and has notable wins over Robert Whittaker, Darren Till, Derek Brunson, and Brad Tavares.
Dricus du Plessis has ramped up his rivalry with incoming UFC 305 headliner, Israel Adesanya following last night’s tense…
UFC middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis thinks a win over Israel Adesanya will put him into the GOAT conversation…
