UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya launched a tirade of racial slurs at South African fighter Dricus du Plessis when they faced off in the cage at UFC 290 after DDP’s win over Robert Whittaker, and now ‘The last Stylebender’ has responded to the negative reaction he received from some fans for what he said in the heat of the moment.
“After my last fight (against Pereira), I grabbed the mic. People say it’s the best post-fight speech in history of the company, ever,” Adesanya said on his YouTube channel. “I grabbed the mic after his (Du Plessis) fight and people feel like, ‘Ah, it’s cringe.’ Bad look. This and that. Either way, I make you feel something.
“When I grab the mic and I really speak from the heart, or speak from my gut, I really make you feel something. Whether you love me or hate me, you will feel something. I’m not trying. I wasn’t. I just make sh*t happen because that’s how I feel, and I want to make it happen. I want to make him feel me. He doesn’t understand. … People say I turned heel. It’s not heel. I can just feel myself switch and the beast comes out.”
The Nigerian-born Adesanya’s rant in the Octagon wasn’t unprovoked as du Plessis had previously taken a dig at his rival’s heritage, stating that he intended to become the first true African champion since he still lived and trained in Africa.
As such there’s now clearly real bad blood between the two, and they’ll have a chance to settle their differences in the Octagon in their forthcoming title fight, which at this stage doesn’t have a confirmed date or location.
