Israel Adesanya believes that the South African people will be on his side against Dricus du Plessis.
‘The Last Stylebender’ hasn’t been seen in the cage since a unanimous decision loss to Sean Strickland last September. After that defeat, Israel Adesanya announced plans to take a hiatus from MMA. However, it seems that the middleweight contender will be returning to the cage sooner than expected.
Earlier this month, Israel Adesanya was tied to an August clash with middleweight champion, Dricus du Plessis. ‘Stillknocks’ won the title from Strickland in January, and quickly called to defend the gold in his home country of South Africa. While UFC 305 is set to take place in Australia, Adesanya is fine meeting du Plessis on his home turf.
However, that’s because Israel Adesanya believes that he’s more in touch with South Africa than Dricus du Plessis is. Earlier today, ‘The Last Stylebender’ discussed his potential return to the cage on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani. There, Adesanya didn’t hold back when asked about du Plessis, and the possibility of fighting in Africa.
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Israel Adesanya discusses fighting UFC champion Dricus du Plessis in South Africa
“Of course. Those are my people.” Israel Adesanya responded when asked if he would be down to fight Dricus du Plessis in South Africa. “That’s my people, I bet you those are my people. I know that for a fact. I don’t care about cheers, but those are my people. When I go there, when I touch South Africa, they’re my people. Trust me, you’ll see. When I go to South Africa, I’m more in touch with the culture in South Africa than he is.”
He continued, “I can guarantee you that. Yeah [he’s from there], but the people. The people tell me, and the people know. I can go there, and not even the language, [it’s the] body language, the dances, the vibes. When I’m there, they know, and they tell me like, I’m their people. Yeah, it would be [insane to fight there].”
Both men’s ties to Africa have been called into question by each other over the last year. The feud between the two famously started last year, after Dricus du Plessis stated that he wanted to be the “real first African champ”. Adesanya felt slighted by those comments, and they’ve been feuding ever since.
What do you make of these comments from the former UFC champion? Do you want to see Israel Adesanya fight Dricus du Plessis in South Africa?
