UFC middleweight champ Israel Adesanya has a prediction for an upcoming title eliminator. Adesanya, who is 2-0 against the man he dethroned, Robert Whittaker, has no shortage of faith that his old opponent will steamroll the surging South African, Dricus du Plessis, at UFC 290. Adesanya made his dramatic prediction on his YouTube channel.
“This is the game we play. F***, I just [realized] it is three rounds. Percentage? I say Rob can probably finish him.
UFC Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya Backs Rival To Demolish Dricus Du Plessis
I’d say Rob can probably get him out of there in the second round, or just beat him up for three rounds. Dricus’ only chance — I don’t like to say there’s no way, because there’s aways a way, but he can’t outlast Rob.
I think Rob will be faster than him, fitter than him, so he might just have to make it ugly. But Rob can also fight ugly as well, so we’ll se. Honestly, 70 [percent chance Whittaker wins], but I really want Dricus.”
“The Last Stylebender” actually wanted to take on Du Plessis, ranked no.8 in the 185-pound division, himself.
“I tried to do Du Plessis in the f****** Death Star [Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas],” Adesanya said. “I tried. Maybe not International Fight Week because it was already booked, but I tried it later on. I was like, ‘F*** it, give him to me. It’s already there. What’s the point? Why wait?’”
Part of the animosity comes from Du Plessis’ assertion that he was the real African fighting in the UFC. Adesanya hails from Nigeria, but moved to New Zealand as a child, and continues to live and train there. Du Plessis, on the other hand lives and trains in South Africa.
After UFC 287, Adesanya addressed Du Plessis directly. “I wanna whoop his ass so bad. I wanna whoop his ass so bad. I wanna do it in South Africa, or Nigeria, but he’s got to do work, he’s got to do something, show me something, so I can whoop that ass and I can show you history.
I’ll remind you, because you got to choose your words wisely when you speak on people that have come before you, people that paved the way for you. You gotta pick your words wisely. You wanna try and be a big boy. I want to be with the big boys. Go choose your words wisely, but I don’t wanna give him no clout.
But if he does work and, and, I pray to God, he keeps winning, I will gladly drag his carcass across South Africa.” Adesanya believes he won’t get his wish, however, and is happy to see a trilogy fight against Robert Whittaker, perhaps when the UFC returns to Whittaker’s home city of Sydney later this year.
