"If you knew anything about living in Africa" - Dricus du Plessis continues slamming Israel Adesanya after UFC 293 absence

Dricus du Plessis has sent a message to Israel Adesanya regarding his absence from UFC 293 in Sydney, Australia last weekend.

'The Last Stylebender' faced off against Sean Strickland in the main event, with 'Tarzan' defeating Adesanya via unanimous decision to become the new middleweight champion.

Following Dricus du Plessis' stunning TKO win over Robert Whittaker at UFC 290, it appeared that he would be the next man to face Israel Adesanya. The pair shared a heated face-off in the octagon after 'Stillknocks' defeated Whittaker, and the fight appeared all but confirmed.

But an injury du Plessis suffered in training camp for UFC 290 ruled him out of a quick turnaround against Adesanya at UFC 293 and Strickland replaced him. Many expected 'Stillknocks' to be in attendance for the middleweight title bout, and his absence was criticized by pundits.

Israel Adesanya was also surprised by Dricus du Plessis' absence at UFC 293. During a recent interview on The MMA Hour, the South African explained why he did not travel to Australia:

"That's one thing I want to tell Izzy. Listen, if you knew anything about living in Africa, you would realize what it takes to get a visa to Australia being a South African. It doesn't happen overnight, you don't get a visa in two, three weeks. You just don't. You don't event get a visa in four weeks. It's extremely hard. You need a good enough reason [to get one]... You know how hard it is for a South African to get a visa to Australia?"

Watch the video below from 21:05:

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Dricus du Plessis reveals whether he wants to face Israel Adesanya or Sean Strickland next

Dricus du Plessis and Israel Adesanya have bad blood that needs to be settled. But following Sean Strickland's victory over 'The Last Stylebender' at UFC 293, the South African's sights appear to have been adjusted.

Du Plessis is currently the No.2-ranked contender, and aside from Adesanya getting an immediate rematch against Strickland, 'Stillknocks' appears likely to fight for UFC gold next.

But given the magnitude of a fight with Israel Adesanya, Dricus du Plessis was asked whether he wanted to face 'The Last Stylebender' more than facing Strickland next.

On The MMA Hour, 'Stillknocks' said:

"The belt is what interests me. After that, we can do the Izzy fight. Right now, Sean Strickland is the goal. I want to fight Israel Adesanya, but not as bad as I want to fight for the belt. I’ll make the promise that when I win that belt, he’ll be the first defense, 100%. Right now, Israel Adesanya is irrelevant to me."