In the South African mind, the fight is already won and lost before the first bell

WATCH: Dricus du Plessis says Israel Adesanya ‘handled himself like a clown’

By Ed Emeanua

Dricus du Plessis has been ranting up quite a storm ahead of his planned clash with Israel Adesanya ahead of their  UFC Middleweight championship at UFC 293 in Sydney, Australia in September.

South Africa’s Du Plessis won his mandatory title right following his a second-round TKO win over Robert Whittaker in a UFA MMA middleweight joust at UFC 290 at T-Mobile Arena on July 08, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. His shocking defeat of Whittaker set up his upcoming UFA title challenge of Adesanya in a couple of months.

Ever since, the South African MMA fighter has been talking up a storm against the UFC middleweight champion and feels his quick work over Whittaker gives him bragging rights as a clear favorite.

Du Plessis promises either winning by knockout or mauling the champion on the mat in his upcoming engagement against Nigeria’s Adesanya.

Du Plessis promises either winning by knockout or mauling the champion on the mat in his upcoming engagement against Nigeria’s Adesanya.

Du Plessis vows winning by a KO over Adesanya

“I’ll knock him out just like I did tonight,” The boastful South African UFC star said.

“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. And as far as the striking goes, look at it, let’s take that out of the question.

“You are as good as your last performance. What did his last performance look like against Whitaker? Yeah, you beat him. It was a close fight. What did my last performance against Whitaker look like? So right now, that’s how I plan on beating him.”

“The same way I beat Whittaker tonight by implementing the game plan and sticking to my style and doing what we do best, listening to my coaches, listening to the great Morne Visser, the great teammates I have at CIT, the guy, a small gym South Africa coming up with game plans with this awkward style, this style that looks completely wrong to so many people,” Du Plessis said.

“I’m the number one contender in the world right now so its time to put some respect on that.”

Chael Sonnen Warns Conor McGregor Of Israel Adesanya’s Growing Popularity: ‘Izzy Is Coming For Top Draw In The Sport’

Chael Sonnen thinks Israel Adesanya’s controversial faceoff with Dricus Du Plessis proves he can be the biggest superstar in MMA, Jake Foley reports for MMA News.

Chael Sonnen (Left)(Image via YouTube @MMAFightingonSBN), Conor McGregor (Middle), and Israel Adesanya (Right)(Images via Instagram @TheNotoriousMMA and @StyleBender)

Chael Sonnen believes Israel Adesanya’s star power could surpass Conor McGregor.

In the history of MMA, there hasn’t been a fighter who has reached the popularity level of ‘The Notorious.’ The former two-division UFC champion continues to generate news headlines, but Sonnen thinks Adesanya could be catching up to McGregor as the biggest draw in MMA.

At UFC 290, Adesanya stole Dricus Du Plessis’s moment by verbally attacking him after defeating Robert Whittaker. During the latest episode of The MMA Hour, Sonnen discussed how the controversial scene caused by the UFC middleweight champion could help take him to the next level in popularity:

“There’s a different game being played here by Izzy. You want to know who should be watching this? It’s not Du Plessis, and it’s not the rest of the division. It’s Conor McGregor. Izzy’s coming for his spot. Izzy is coming for top draw in the sport, and he’s not that far away. By the way, he truly made that program for me.”

 

Du Plessis’ win against Whittaker will likely lead to a middleweight title shot in his next Octagon appearance. With that said, it’s not guaranteed that ‘Stillknocks’ will be Adesanya’s next opponent. ‘The Last Stylebender’ plans to headline UFC 293 in September, and he needs an available title challenger.

Only time will tell if Du Plessis can make the two-month turnaround.

Chael Sonnen compares Israel Adesanya’s appearance at UFC 290 to Conor McGregor’s at BKFC 41

On April 29, Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship held their biggest event of the year, which was headlined by Mike Perry vs. Luke Rockhold. During the highly-anticipated fight card, Conor McGregor showed up at the event, adding a massive amount of attention.

During the same episode of The MMA Hour, Chael Sonnen compared McGregor’s appearance at BKFC 41 to Adesanya’s faceoff with Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 290:

“What Adesanya did, that show’s not the same. I was at a Bare Knuckle show about two months ago, and Conor McGregor showed up, and it was a massive deal from a perspective of entertainment. From having something to look forward to that you weren’t promised, it wasn’t on the marquee. The presence of Conor was greatly felt, and it was discussed in the media long after… Now I’m seeing that Izzy can play that same game, and he can play it very powerfully.”

 

If Adesanya were to pass McGregor in popularity, it would likely be to ‘The Notorious’ being inactive. The former two-division UFC champion hasn’t fought since August 2021 as he looks to overcome issues with USADA to return.

Meanwhile, Adesanya has fought four times since McGregor’s last Octagon appearance. ‘The Last Stylebender’ also has the opportunity to fight once or twice before the Dublin native is approved by USADA.