Title challenger Israel Adesanya and Dricus Du Plessis will be rocking their rivalry with utter diligence this weekend. They meet for the UFC 305 pay-per-view (PPV) main event which marks a maiden defense for Du Plessis. Leading into this fight, it has been clear that their beef is very real. The war for the one ‘true African’ titleholder has been raging on for a while now.
However, UFC 305 won’t be the first time Israel Adesanya and Dricus Du Plessis have come to blows. The rivalry has been a morsel in the 185-pound title contention picture for long. This weekend marks Izzy’s chance to become a three-time champion in the same weight class. Du Plessis also will give it his all to take the gold home to South Africa. Here’s a brief look into how it all started.
The year was 2014…
Most ardent combat sports fans think the beef shot off at International Fight Week last year. However, they would be wrong. As is mostly with MMA beef, it was a rare case of ‘Who dun it’ with the upper hand in sparring. Israel Adesanya was but a fledgling practitioner in between Muay Thai and Kickboxing.
The Kiwi-based fighter barely had two pro fights under his belt before any such beef. During the Impaulsive Podcast EP. 381, ‘Stylebender’ recalled the South African having a grappling advantage. Nevertheless, he schooled DDP in the striking department.
Israel Adesanya and Dricus Du Plessis have some clear animosity and pent-up rivalry (Source: sportsnet.ca/X)It’s not a bold claim, given the mettle Izzy has. He said he was coming from the Chinese Republic and had no MMA training back then; all striking. He used to go rounds with Brad Riddell, Alexander Volkanovski, Kai Kara-France, and others. Soon after, snippets of Volk, Izzy, and ‘Stilknocks’ went viral last year. CKB coach Eugene Bareman also confirmed the narrative.
However, DDP maintained that while the City Kickboxing NZ Team trained together in Phuket, Thailand, he and Adesanya never stood across striking. He also nudged that he ‘manhandled’ him. These claims came in June during the episode with Logan Paul, a month before UFC 290. Though not a true representation of their beef, this is probably what started it all.
The ‘True African’ face-off
Adesanya, 35, said that he expects his tension with Du Plessis to come to a head from the moment they step into the octagon. It’s a sentiment he has carried for some time now. Israel Adesanya got into the ring at UFC 290 when Dricus Du Plessis upset middleweight top crop Robert Whittaker at the third last fight of UFC 290 at the T-Mobile Arena. Izzy, who was in attendance, stepped in and threw racial slurs at the South African fighter. It led to one of the most racially-charged face-offs of the season.
The ‘true African’ rivalry finally comes to an end at UFC 305 (Source: bleacherreport.com)The Last Stylebender is a believer in manifesting his destiny. While Izzy maintains this the moment that got him to UFC 305, he admits the rage got the better of him. Adesanya’s intensity stems from Du Plessis commenting that winning a UFC title would make him a true African Champion. As he still trains and lives in Africa. Unlike Kiwi-based Izzy himself, who scuffled with Whittaker for the same reason.
The duo were to substantiate it all in a clash at UFC 293. However, Du Plessis suffered a foot injury and pulled out. The pent-up issues stewed over time while Izzy would lose his stake in the gold.
Another racial driver and a vow
This isn’t the first time Israel Adesanya has made things personal. Following his KO win over Alex Pereira at UFC 287, Adesanya taunted Pereira’s son for mocking him years ago. Izzy is dauntingly prone to the tit-for-tat flow of things. When Dricus Du Plessis touted being the one ‘true African’ champ again, it set off the fireworks.
At the UFC 305 on-sale kickoff conference this July, the middleweight champ again argued that because he was born, raised, and trained out of South Africa, it made him the true champ. Nigeria’s Adesanya, Cameroon’s Francis Ngannou, and Nigeria’s Kamaru Usman all won UFC undisputed gold before Du Plessis — but outside of Africa.
Israel Adesanya won’t let Dricus Du Plessis off the hook for ‘true African’ aspirations and beef (Source: Instagram/citizen.co.za)Du Plessis’ comments also infuriated Ghanaian-born UFC middleweight Abdul Razak Alhassan. Izzy accordingly vowed revenge as he warned him to check his privilege before snubbing the ‘three African Kings‘ of UFC.
With glory and gold involved at the UFC 305 pay-per-view (PPV) headliner, DDP maintains that he is chasing stats and legacy. Hence, he means no disrespect but wants himself to be the only true African champion to matter, to come out of this beef. As such, petty or not, true or not, this rivalry has given shape to one of the best possible showdowns of the 185-pound class yet.
