UFC 290 was a star-studded event that did not disappoint at all. Most matches ended in a finish and we got to see some of the closest matches of the year. The intense moments between Dricus du Plessis and Israel Adesanya also highlighted the event.
Former UFC Champion Conor McGregor really enjoyed du Plessis’ victory against Robert Whittaker and was all praises for him.
The South African dominantly produced a technical knock-out against Whittaker that led him to a shot against the much-deserved UFC Middleweight Title. After the fight, du Plessis was praising his opponent, and that is when Israel Adesanya showed up inside the Octagon.
The current champion of the division Israel Adesanya was involved in a heated staredown with du Plessis and exchanged some words. This sets up amazingly well for the title match at UFC 293 between the two on September 10, 2023, at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia.
du Plessis’ win and the coming match-up against one of the biggest stars in the MMA circuit right now are huge deals for him and for South African MMA.
Huge congrats to South African MMA and South Africa, period! That is an incredible win for them inside the UFC’s Octagon! Title fight next for sure!
Let’s go S.A 🇿🇦 ❤️— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) July 9, 2023
So, Irishman Conor McGregor congratulated him and his nation South Africa. “Huge congrats to South African MMA and South Africa, period! That is an incredible win for them inside the UFC’s Octagon! Title fight next for sure! Let’s go S.A,” expressed McGregor in a tweet after the fight.
Coming back to the fight, Robert Whittaker was done and dusted by his opponent in under 2 rounds when the referee had to intervene to declare a technical knockout. Many called it a great upset, but with the kind of record, du Plessis has, it was coming. It was his sixth consecutive UFC win and his eighth consecutive one overall.
Dricus du Plessis Calls Israel Adesanya a ‘Clown’
The scenes between Adesanya and du Plessis got a little ugly after the fight as the words exchanged between them were on the lines of being racist and offensive. A relief for Dana White was that none of them used their hands in the heat of the moment.
In the post-match conference, du Plessis was of the opinion that Adesanya is a champion and he should behave that way.
The South African thought that the Stylebender’s actions were quite childish and clownish. “You saw it tonight, I’m prepared,” du Plessis said at the post-fight press conference on Saturday in Las Vegas. “I’m prepared for everything,” he says.
“He’s behaving like a clown in there. That’s not how a champion behaves. That’s not at all 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. If that sells tickets, good for him. I’ll sell tickets in my way. I’m a gentleman, I’m a man, and I’ll behave like a man.” – expressed du Plessis following the fight.
Well, whatever the intensity of the situation was, the aftermath of the situation has got the fans very excited, as the two will now contest for the Title shot at UFC 293 in September.