Come on UFC, let’s get Issy into octagon with Dricus du Plessis
The middleweight champion Israel Adesanya did himself no favours when he climbed into the octagon to confront the new No 1 contender.
Dricus du Plessis celebrates after being declared the winner over Robert Whittaker in a middleweight bout during UFC 290 at T-Mobile Arena on Sunday in Las Vegas. Picture: Steve Marcus/Getty Images
They say a champion needs to carry himself or herself with grace and poise.
It is a role that comes with certain unwritten prerequisites and responsibilities.
A role where – especially in a sport such as mixed martial arts – the person holding the title is meant to be a role model for the youth in a sport that has fought for decades to eliminate the stigma of violence and discrimination.
At UFC290 in Las Vegas over the past weekend, the middleweight champion Israel Adesanya did himself no favours when he climbed into the octagon to confront the new No 1 contender.
The Nigerian got into the face of South Africa’s Dricus du Plessis and had a full verbal go at him in a tone that bordered on racism.
This spat between the two started late last year when born-and-bred South African Du Plessis claimed that he was the only true African in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
Now while Adesanya and fellow Nigerian Kamaru Usman’s roots are in Africa, neither of them have actually lived on the continent for many years.
Adesanya, specifically, resides in New Zealand after spending much of his life in China and the United States.
In what can only be described as a stupid rush of blood to the head, Adesanya referred to Du Plessis as “his African brother” and called him a “n****r” on more than one occasion.
Du Plessis kept his cool and his only reply was: “I am African, but I am definitely not your brother.”
In the post-fight conference, Du Plessis said what I believe everyone else was thinking.
“He’s behaving like a clown in there,” he told reporters. “That’s not how a champion behaves. That’s not how a man behaves. He’s behaving like a child. Conduct yourself like a champion.
“I will manhandle him. I’ve done it before, and I’ll do it again.”
I believe Du Plessis’ response was appropriate and what one should expect of a challenger — a man I believe will be the next middleweight champion in the UFC.
Come on UFC, let these two fight it out on the African continent so we can see who the real champion is.
