“The worst Izzy we’ve ever seen in the cage” - Dricus Du Plessis rubbishes claims of Sean Strickland ‘shutting down’ Israel Adesanya at UFC 293

Dricus Du Plessis dismissed the idea that Sean Strickland completely dominated Israel Adesanya at UFC 293.

The South African fighter was initially set to fight Adesanya for the middleweight title at UFC 293, but he had to pull out due to a foot injury. Strickland stepped in as a replacement and did the unexpected by beating the 185-pound champion via unanimous decision in the main event of UFC 293 last Saturday at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney.

While numerous fans and fight pundits argue that 'Tarzan' clearly outperformed Adesanya, Dricus Du Plessis holds a different perspective. He believes that 'The Last Stylebender' didn't fight according to expectations, especially considering his long-standing dominance as the middleweight champion.

During a recent appearance on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, 'Stillknocks' said:

"Some people saying that it's just Sean Strickland shutting him down, but that's not the fact. Izzy didn't fight the way that he's been fighting. That was the worst Izzy we’ve ever seen in the cage."

He added:

"He wouldn’t have gotten up after that flurry where Strickland dropped him. Do you think Robert Whittaker would’ve beaten that version of Adesanya? Yes. That fight went a round and a half with me and Whittaker. There’s no way it would’ve seen the second round.”

Check out Du Plessis' comments below:

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Dricus Du Plessis responds to Dana White's remarks on the UFC 293 injury withdrawal

Dricus Du Plessis seemed like the logical next contender for the middleweight title after securing a second-round TKO victory over Robert Whittaker at UFC 290 in July.

However, when offered a title shot against Israel Adesanya at UFC 293, 'Stillknocks' declined the fight due to a leg injury, drawing criticism from UFC CEO Dana White.

During a recent appearance on the FightWave podcast, Du Plessis addressed White's comments:

"I've been ready to address every situation of what might happen this weekend, and what the UFC might say, what Dana might say – obviously, him not being very happy that I turned down a fight on seven weeks notice with an injury, which I don't really understand, but at the end of the day, it's business for them and you have got to respect that."

Check out Du Plessis' comments below (from 1:55):