Dricus du Plessis believes that Israel Adesanya did not perform well during his bout at UFC 293, adding that Sean Strickland, who replaced him due to an injury, rightfully won the middleweight title, an outcome contrary to pre-fight predictions.
Dricus du Plessis, the South African fighter, expressed his thoughts on Israel Adesanya’s performance at UFC 293. He asserts that Adesanya got off easy. This remark comes after Adesanya’s fight with Sean Strickland. Initially, du Plessis and Adesanya were supposed to face each other, but an injury had kept du Plessis from participating, leading to Strickland stepping in. Strickland managed to flip expectations by performing exceptionally and winning the UFC middleweight title.
Du Plessis noted that Strickland and his team deserved the praise they were receiving, but he also expounded on Adesanya’s lackluster performance. Du Plessis, who had been closely observing Adesanya for an extended period due to their scheduled bout, sensed that Adesanya was ‘off.’ Du Plessis has a keen familiarity with Adesanya’s movements and mannerisms from studying him and insisted that his intuition was correct. He also firmly stated, “Izzy didn’t fight the way that Izzy can fight. That was the worst Izzy we’ve ever seen in the cage.”
Prior to the match, Adesanya was seen as a heavy favorite, and few believed that Strickland could pull off an upset. Du Plessis himself saw Strickland’s chances as next to nothing. However, everything changed as the fight progressed. Strickland outperformed Adesanya and almost ended the fight in the first round, which shook the betting odds. Du Plessis praised Strickland but added that if he had been in the ring with Adesanya, it would have been all over in the first round.
With Strickland now holding the championship title, du Plessis’ pathway is unclear. UFC CEO Dana White suggested that a rematch could be in order for Strickland and Adesanya. There are other potential contenders for Strickland’s first match as champion, leaving du Plessis uncertain of his next step. For him, one goal stands paramount – the championship belt. Asserting his ambition, du Plessis said “The belt is what interests me.” He assured that if he wins the belt, Adesanya will be his first defense. For now, he is bent on targeting the current title holder.