“If I fought that version…” Dricus Du Plessis claims UFC 293 was ‘THE WORST’ Israel Adesanya we’ve ever seen in the cage

UFC middleweight Dricus Du Plessis seems confident of finishing former champion Israel Adesanya in round 1 after his disappointing loss at UFC 293.

“If I fought that version…” Dricus Du Plessis claims UFC 293 was ‘THE WORST’ Israel Adesanya we’ve ever seen in the cage

Dricus Du Plessis on UFC 293 (Image courtesy: IMAGO)

No.1 ranked middleweight contender Dricus Du Plessis did not hold back on his criticism of former champion Israel Adesanya‘s UFC 293 performance. Adesanya could not succumb to his opponent Sean Strickland‘s pressure, which led to a bad performance. Experts of the sport debated if it was Strickland’s masterclass or Adesanya’s failure to perform. However, Du Plessis has made his say on the topic.

In an interview with Ariel Helwani, Du Plessis expressed his opinion on Adesanya’s performance. The South African said, “If I fought that version of Israel Adesanya, that fight, do you think Robert Whittaker would’ve beaten that version of Adesanya? Yes. That fight would’ve gone round- and a half with me and Whittaker. There’s no way Adesanya would have seen the second round.“

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Undoubtedly, many MMA fans were left disappointed after Adesanya’s performance. Strickland’s win at UFC 293 changed a lot of things for the middleweight division. There are discussions among the UFC to choose a competent opponent for Strickland’s further title defenses. And Du Plessis does lie in the top half of the list. Other fighters like Khamzat Chimaev and Paulo Costa could be some of the notable names for the position.

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Du Plessis and Adesanya share a fierce rivalry. Both of them have exchanged words on multiple occasions. Further, the duo was set to fight on the UFC 293 card. However, Du Plessis pulled out seven weeks before the scheduled fight due to an injury. The possibility of seeing both in the octagon has reduced significantly after Adesanya’s title loss. Nevertheless, Du Plessis plans on fighting his arch-rival soon in the future.

Related: “Not somebody that turns down fights,” Dricus Du Plessis breaks silence on Dana White’s jab over UFC 293 withdrawal

Daniel Cormier names the only middleweight hurdle that Dricus Du Plessis could face

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Daniel Cormier and Dricus Du Plessis (Image courtesy: Los Angeles Times, MMA Weekly)

Sean Strickland’s victory over Israel Adesanya became one of the biggest upsets in the history of UFC. That victory changed the dynamics of the middleweight division. Dricus Du Plessis was the next possible opponent for Adesanya before UFC 293. But the matchup didn’t make sense after Strickland’s win and no title on the line. UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier has shared his opinion on who could be the new contender for the title.

Cormier believes that Dricus was still one of the top choices for the UFC for Strickland’s title defense. But there could be one hurdle that could stop the South African from achieving his life-long dream. Cormier has stated that a winner from Paulo Costa vs. Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294 could make a lot of noise. This attention could make it undeniable for UFC to offer a title shot to the winner of that fight.

Further, Cormier has also stated that Chimaev is living in the spotlight. A power-packed performance from him could change the destinies of a lot of individuals. Chimaev could get the shot over Dricus. The only probable solution will come out after the results of UFC 294.

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