Ex-UFC star says Israel Adesanya is coming for McGregor’s spot as MMA’s top draw: ‘I think it’s fascinating’

Israel AdesanyaIsrael Adesanya was the talk of UFC 290 and he didn’t have to throw a single punch in the process. The reigning middleweight champion was on hand at T-Mobile Arena to take in the action last Saturday night. Adesanya specifically had his attention locked on a highly anticipated 185-pound clash between former titleholder Robert Whittaker […]

Israel Adesanya

Israel Adesanya was the talk of UFC 290 and he didn’t have to throw a single punch in the process.

The reigning middleweight champion was on hand at T-Mobile Arena to take in the action last Saturday night. Adesanya specifically had his attention locked on a highly anticipated 185-pound clash between former titleholder Robert Whittaker and rising contender Dricus Du Plessis. Fans were left absolutely stunned when Du Plessis, a three-to-one underdog, scored a second-round TKO against ‘The Reaper’ and solidified himself as the next man in line to challenge Adesanya.

As the South African celebrated his win, ‘Stillknocks’ was joined inside the Octagon by Adesanya who proceeded to make a series of racially-charged remarks that felt like they came from a page right out of the Conor McGregor handbook for selling fights.

Chael Sonnen Sees Israel Adesanya Competing with Conor McGregor to Become the UFC’s Biggest Draw

While most fans were quick to condemn Israel Adesanya’s controversial comments, former three-time UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen believes ‘Stylebender’ stole the show and suggested that the champ is gunning to become the promotion’s top draw via a very McGregor-esque attitude change.

“There were things that happened on Saturday on television before that I’ve never seen,” Sonnen said of Adesanya during an appearance on The MMA Hour. “I thought Adesanya was the star of the show, I don’t think that program is the same with his appearance and he didn’t throw a single punch. I think it’s fascinating. 

“There’s something else going on here, by the way…there’s a different game being played here by Izzy. You know who should be watching this? It’s Conor McGregor. Izzy’s coming for his spot, Izzy’s coming for top draw in the sport and he’s not that far away. He truly made that program for me” (h/t MMA News).

With things already incredibly intense between Israel Adesanya and Dricus Du Plessis, we can only imagine the kind of antics that ‘Stylebender’ will pull out of his bag over the next few months.

As for when the two men will actually square off, recent rumors suggest that Adesanya is planning to return at UFC 293 in September when the promotion returns to Australia. If that is the case, it only gives Du Plessis eight weeks to recover and prepare for the biggest fight of his career thus far.

Chael Sonnen comes to the defense of Dricus Du Plessis after controversial face-off with Israel Adesanya

Dricus Du PlessisFormer three-time UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen offered his take on the awkward confrontation between middleweight champion Israel Adesanya and Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 290. Stillknocks’ shocked fight fans around the world with his incredible second-round knockout of perennial contender Robert Whittaker inside T-Mobile Arena on Saturday night. With the victory, Dricus Du Plessis […]

Dricus Du Plessis

Former three-time UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen offered his take on the awkward confrontation between middleweight champion Israel Adesanya and Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 290.

Stillknocks’ shocked fight fans around the world with his incredible second-round knockout of perennial contender Robert Whittaker inside T-Mobile Arena on Saturday night. With the victory, Dricus Du Plessis secured himself a date against ‘The Last Stylebender’ later this year in what will be the South African’s first UFC title opportunity. In the midst of celebrating his victory, Du Plessis was joined inside the Octagon by Israel Adesanya, where the two engaged in what would quickly become one of the most intense staredowns of all time.

Adesanya got right into Du Plessis’ face and began hurling a series of racially-charged insults at his next opponent. “This is my African brother right here, let’s go n*gga, what’s up b*tch?” Adesanya yelled during their UFC 290 face-off. “Let’s go n*gga, here n*gga. Wassup n*gga? Yeah, my African brother!”

Sharing his thoughts on the intense encounter, Chael Sonnen suggested that ‘Stylebender’ was doing his job by selling a fight between himself and Dricus Du Plessis. However, ‘The American Gangster’ was quick to point out that Adesanya’s response was genuine.

“Adesanya’s got a job to do,” Sonnen said on his YouTube channel. “Adesanya has a job, which is to make you – the public – as interested in his next fight as he possibly can… It’s a game he is willing to play. And he got in the ring and he used very strong language to make his point, but he was very serious and it was in his eyes, and it was in his face, and he meant it, and it was real. It was powerful and he let us – the audience – in on it.”

Chael Sonnen Defends Dricus Du Plessis’ Comments About Israel Adesanya

The racial tones surrounding Adesanya and Du Plessis can be traced back to comments made by ‘Stillknocks’ that questioned the middleweight champ’s African heritage. Du Plessis, who has lived in South Africa all his life, also suggested that he would be the UFC’s first “real” African champion. Adesanya was understandably infuriated by the comments, but Du Plessis’ original statement has since been twisted by fans and the media, turning their title tilt into a war over race rather than about being the best middleweight fighter in the world.

Adesanya leaned into that narrative during their UFC 290 confrontation, but it was clearly never the intention of Dricus Du Plessis to make their rivalry about race.

“We were witnessing [Dricus Du Plessis] realizing for the first time ‘This guy doesn’t get it. This guy is actually mad. This guy is actually offended, this guy doesn’t understand. I’m not in that spot. I’m just trying to get the match.’ And I just understood it on a deeper level, where people were willing to say or where people were willing to go with that or where they were trying to pull Du Plessis or pull some of Du Plessis’ comments,” Sonnen continued. “

And they simply weren’t true. There were a number of things Du Plessis said, that he most certainly did not say. And he did make it about nationality, that’s true. And you will find the African comment, that’s true. But he didn’t make it about race, that is not true. And that’s not fair(h/t MMA News).

Israel Adesanya is slated for a return at UFC 293 in September when the promotion returns to Australia. If that turns out to be the night he defends his title against Dricus Du Plessis, it only gives ‘Stillknocks’ eight weeks to recover and prepare for the biggest fight of his mixed martial arts career.

Israel Adesanya ‘lost his mind’ during intense staredown with Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 290

AdesanyaThree-time UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen believes Israel Adesanya lost his mind during a racially-charged face-off with his next opponent, Dricus Du Plessis on Saturday night. ‘Stillknocks’ shocked fans watching around the world when he delivered a highlight-reel-worthy second-round TKO against former titleholder Robert Whittaker at UFC 290. Scoring himself an opportunity at the middleweight […]

Adesanya

Three-time UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen believes Israel Adesanya lost his mind during a racially-charged face-off with his next opponent, Dricus Du Plessis on Saturday night.

‘Stillknocks’ shocked fans watching around the world when he delivered a highlight-reel-worthy second-round TKO against former titleholder Robert Whittaker at UFC 290. Scoring himself an opportunity at the middleweight world title, Dricus Du Plessis was greeted inside the Octagon shortly following his victory by the division’s reigning king, Israel Adesanya. What ensued was an intense and downright awkward confrontation that saw ‘The Last Stylebender’ repeatedly use the N-world while addressing the South African standout.

Sharing his thoughts on the now-viral staredown, Chael Sonnen believes Adesanya completely lost his mind while confronting the man that questioned his African heritage.

“[Adesanya] lost his mind tonight in front of you and it was real and it didn’t have anything to do with money and it did not have anything to do with fame,” Sonnen said on his YouTube channel. “He lost his mind tonight on a poor up-and-comer, who does not have a beautiful contract, who is not world-known, who is not a face that is going to go down as an icon of his industry. The big man picked on the little man and he couldn’t control himself. It was real. And it was real because ‘Izzy’ hasn’t let that other stuff in. He hasn’t let those distractions in. He’s that same hungry guy.

“For ‘Izzy,’ it’s still about competition. It’s a very interesting mindset that takes an extreme discipline. I have never seen anybody come through this sport that has controlled their career more than Israel Adesanya. Nobody has called their shot and I do mean nobody.”

It was far from the first time that Israel Adesanya hurled racial slurs at Dricus Du Plessis, calling the top-ranked contender a “cracker” during another rant long before the two were slated to match up in a middleweight title tilt.

Chael Sonnen Commends Adesanya for Seeking Out the Most Dangerous Opponents

Looking past Adesanya’s childish antics at UFC 290, Chael Sonnen commended ‘Stylebender’ for always opting to take the most dangerous path, even if the rankings call for him to go in a completely different direction.

“He called for ‘DDP’ and he didn’t call for him tonight,” Sonnen said. “He also called for him tonight. He got him tonight. He called for him a long time ago. It was one of the things that Dana said way back when Dana agreed to make the match with ‘Izzy’ and Yoel Romero.

“Yoel had just been in a No. 1 contenders match and he lost to Paulo Costa. So, it should have been Paulo Costa and ‘Izzy,’ right? He went after Yoel [instead]. Dana’s going, ‘Yoel’s a really hard fight, ‘Izzy.’ You’re a tall, skinny kickboxer. He’s an Olympic medalist in wrestling from Cuba. This is a terrible idea.’ It’s really hard to tell a guy no when he’s asking for something so difficult. Dana had to try to package that up and tell it to the audience and it made perfect sense when he did.

“Then you go look at Du Plessis,” he continued. “Du Plessis wasn’t ranked high enough to get the fight with ‘Izzy,’ which is what tonight in the Whittaker fight was about. But it’s the same guy that ‘Izzy’ called out. ‘Izzy’ went in front of the mic and he called for the hardest job for himself. And now the ranking of Du Plessis who will come Tuesday morning be the No. 1 contender, is right in line with what ‘Izzy’ says. And that’s the competitor, never looking for the easy way” (h/t MMA Fighting).

No official announcement has been made, but Adesanya is rumored to make his return to the Octagon at UFC 293 when the promotion heads back to Australia. That gives Dricus Du Plessis roughly eight weeks to heal and prep for the biggest fight of his mixed martial arts career.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump makes his presence felt at UFC 290 in Las Vegas

TrumpEmbattled former U.S. President Donald Trump shocked fans and fighters inside the T-Mobile Arena with his surprise appearance at UFC 290 on Saturday night. Trump emerged from the tunnel alongside Dana White and a bevy of secret service agents and was as social as ever, greeting fans who appeared to be genuinely excited to see […]

Trump

Embattled former U.S. President Donald Trump shocked fans and fighters inside the T-Mobile Arena with his surprise appearance at UFC 290 on Saturday night.

Trump emerged from the tunnel alongside Dana White and a bevy of secret service agents and was as social as ever, greeting fans who appeared to be genuinely excited to see him in the public eye once again. Sitting cageside, the 45th President of the United States was spotted speaking with many members of the broadcast team, including Daniel Cormier and Joe Rogan, who were on hand to lend their special brand of expertise at the commentary table.

Trump is a longtime fan of the UFC and has made his presence known at past events. He is also a close friend of Dana White, who spoke on his behalf during the Republican National Convention in 2020.

Perhaps by design, Trump entered the building while Kid Rock’s ‘American Badass’ played over the loudspeakers.

Dricus Du Plessis Greets Donald Trump Moments After Scoring the Biggest Win of His Career

While ’45’ was spotted shaking hands and conversing with multiple admirers throughout the event, the most noteworthy moment came when newly emerged middleweight title contender Dricus Du Plessis hopped the cage wall in order to shake Trump’s hand seconds after scoring a stunning second-round knockout against former world champion Robert Whittaker.

Du Plessis emerged as the next man in line to challenge reigning middleweight titleholder Israel Adesanya after finishing ‘The Reaper’ in highlight-reel fashion. ‘Stillknocks’ earned himself a $50,000 performance bonus, a title opportunity, and a handshake from a former President. All in all, it was a very good night for the South African standout, even if his celebration was snuffed out by an enraged Adesanya who made his way into the cage and proceeded to hurl racially charged insults at his next opponent.

Donald Trump also had the opportunity to take in two spectacular UFC title fights in the co-main and main event of the evening. Alexandre Pantoja proved once again that he has Brandon Moreno’s number, capturing the flyweight title in a five-round war that had fans on the edge of their seats.

In the evening’s headliner, Alexander Volkanovski once again showed why he is one of the pound-for-pound best in the world, scoring a TKO against interim champion Yair Rodriguez in the third round.

Israel Adesanya criticized for expletive filled rant at UFC 290 aimed at Dricus du Plessis: ‘You are a racist’

Israel Adesanya labeled racist following expletive filled rant at UFC 290 at Dricus du PlessisSharing a tense face-off with surging middleweight contender and expected next title challenger, Dricus du Plessis at UFC 290 last night, undisputed division champion, Israel Adesanya has been blasted by fans and labelled as “racist” by an ex-UFC fighter, following an expletive-filled tirade aimed at the South African. Adesanya, a two-time and current undisputed middleweight […]

Israel Adesanya labeled racist following expletive filled rant at UFC 290 at Dricus du Plessis

Sharing a tense face-off with surging middleweight contender and expected next title challenger, Dricus du Plessis at UFC 290 last night, undisputed division champion, Israel Adesanya has been blasted by fans and labelled as “racist” by an ex-UFC fighter, following an expletive-filled tirade aimed at the South African.

Adesanya, a two-time and current undisputed middleweight champion, managed to regain the 185-pound championship at UFC 287 back in April in Miami, Florida – stopping Brazilian rival, Alex Pereira with a second round knockout in ‘The Sunshine State’.

Attending UFC 290 last night, Adesanya, who watched a clash between former champion and two-time foe, Robert Whittaker and the aforenoted rival, du Plessis, appears to have landed his next opponent off the back of the main card clash.

Improving to 6-0 since his transition to the UFC, surging contender, du Plessis became the first fighter other than Adesanya and Stephen Thompson to finish fan-favorite striker, Whittaker with strikes, securing his championship outing with a second round TKO triumph.

Met by Nigerian-Kiwi Adesanya inside the Octagon for a heated face-off following his victory against Whittaker, du Plessis and the champion shared a tense verbal onslaught, with Israel Adesanya using the ‘n-word’ on multiple occasions in a bid to stoke the flames of his rivalry with the victor.

Israel Adesanya has been labeled as “racist” following his rant at UFC 290

And heavily criticized across social media for his brash display and use of language in their racially-charged face off, Israel Adesanya has been branded as a “racist” by many users, including former UFC featherweight, Andy Ogle

Sharing his own thoughts on Adesanya’s attempt to hype up a fight against him, Pretoria native, du Plessis claimed that the City Kickboxing talent was a “clown”, and predicted a knockout victory over the middleweight kingpin.

“He (Israel Adesanya) knows what a force I am in there,” Dricus du Plessis said after UFC 290. “You could feel the energy, and I could feel how insignificant he is to me when we get into that cage. I’m prepared for everything. Everything he says – he’s behaving like a clown in there. That’s not how a champion behaves, that’s not 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?”
“I’ll knock him out, just like I did tonight,” Dricus du Plessis explained. “You know, if not – 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.” 

Yet to book his Octagon return, Adesanya is expected to headline UFC 293 in September in the promotion’s return to Sydney, Australia, with a bout against du Plesis expected to be confirmed imminently. 

Dricus du Plessis vows to KO rival Israel Adesanya following tense UFC 290 face off: ‘I’ll manhandle him’

Dricus du Plessis vows to KO Israel Adesanya in title fight after UFC 290 face offOff the back of his spectacular second round TKO win over former undisputed champion, Robert Whittaker, South African contender, Dricus du Plessis has criticized the conduct of titleholder, Israel Adesanya – vowing to “manhandle” the City Kickboxing staple in a planned championship showdown. Featuring on the main card of UFC 290 last night, Pretoria native, […]

Dricus du Plessis vows to KO Israel Adesanya in title fight after UFC 290 face off

Off the back of his spectacular second round TKO win over former undisputed champion, Robert Whittaker, South African contender, Dricus du Plessis has criticized the conduct of titleholder, Israel Adesanya – vowing to “manhandle” the City Kickboxing staple in a planned championship showdown.

Featuring on the main card of UFC 290 last night, Pretoria native, du Plessis turned in his sixth consecutive Octagon win, defeating former undisputed titleholder, Whittaker in an eventual second round TKO win over the fan-favorite contender in the pair’s official title-eliminator.

And following his stunning victory, which came as his third consecutive stoppage win inside the Octagon, du Plessis was confronted by champion, Adesanya – with the latter using the ‘n-word’ on multiple occasions during a tense and heated face-off between the duo.

Dricus du Plessis criticizes the conduct of Israel Adesanya at UFC 290

Expected to be firmly on a collision course for a battle at UFC 293 in September in Sydney, Australia – du Plessis has since vowed to “manhandle” Adesanya in their planned title affair, questioning the overall conduct of the titleholder.

“He (Israel Adesanya) knows what a force I am in there,” Dricus du Plessis told assembled media after UFC 290. “You could feel the energy, and I could feel how insignificant he is to me when we get into that cage. I’m prepared for everything. Everything he says – he’s behaving like a clown in there. That’s not how a champion behaves, that’s not 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?”

“I’ll knock him out, just like I did tonight,” Dricus du Plessis explained. “You know, if not – 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.”