South African mixed martial artist, Dricus Du Plessis,has some strong words for former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya.
In an appearance on Submission Radio, Du Plessis expressed his belief that he would have defeated Adesanya if their scheduled fight at UFC 293 had taken place.
He claimed that Adesanya’s good takedown defense would not have been enough to stop him from controlling the fight.
Du Plessis also dismissed the possibility of Adesanya knocking him out, stating, “There’s no way Israel Adesanya knocks me out.”
“The Izzy fight is a fight where I honestly believe that I would’ve grabbed him and I would’ve manhandled him, to be honest,” MMAKnockout.com quoted Du Plessis as saying in a Submission Radio interview.
“I know he has good takedown defense, but I don’t think people understand the difference between myself and Israel Adesanya. If I would’ve grabbed him it would’ve been a very long night.
“Obviously, his striking is good. There’s no way Israel Adesanya knocks me out.”
Du Plessis will get his chance to prove himself when he faces Sean Strickland for the UFC middleweight title at UFC 297 on January 20, 2024.
