Israel Adesanya addresses "blasphemous" comments by Dricus du Plessis, discusses goal for UFC 305 fight

The long-awaited grudge match between Israel Adesanya and South Africa's Dricus du Plessis is fast approaching. Ahead of their high-stakes showdown, 'The Last Stylebender' has alluded to du Plessis' past comments about himself (du Plessis) being the first 'real African UFC champion.'

Adesanya deemed the remarks as blasphemous and highlighted his main objective for the fight. A Nigeria-born New Zealand combat sportsperson, Adesanya has long represented Nigeria and New Zealand and is a former two-time UFC middleweight champion.

Adesanya, former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman (a Nigerian-American fighter), and former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou (a Cameroonian and French fighter) were referred to as the 'Three Kings of Africa' during their championship reigns.

Nevertheless, du Plessis had indicated that he would be the only true African UFC champion who was born, trains, and lives in Africa. After 'Stillknocks' dominantly defeated Robert Whittaker at UFC 290 (July 2023), he and Adesanya were notably involved in a heated face-off inside the octagon that saw 'Izzy' hurl a racial epithet at him.

In an edition of The Rock's Morning Rumble, Israel Adesanya addressed various topics, including Dricus du Plessis. The former champion has consistently maintained that he isn't interested in du Plessis' UFC middleweight title and is coming to "collect heads." He reiterated that stance, implying that his main goal is to take his rival's head off in their upcoming fight.

When asked if there are opponents he wants to hurt more than others, Adesanya responded by stating:

"There's levels ... Him [du Plessis], it's not on a personal level, say in a sense, 'cause look, I don't really know the guy from a bar soap. But what he said about myself, Kamaru Usman, and Francis Ngannou, that's blasphemy."

He added:

"It's like, bro, he would not be a champion without us. We paved the way for him. We made it possible; the one-minute mile or whatever. We made it possible for him. And he's only able to do it in his home country because of his ancestors and what they did, and he doesn't even acknowledge that."

Check out Adesanya's comments below (4:30):

---

UFC 305: Israel Adesanya revisits Abdul Razak Alhassan's remarks regarding Dricus du Plessis

In July 2024, UFC middleweight Abdul Razak Alhassan labeled Dricus du Plessis "a f**king b*tch". The Ghanaian fighter insinuated that du Plessis had disrespected the other UFC champions of African descent by seemingly questioning their heritage.

Taking to X, Israel Adesanya reacted to Alhassan's comments by praising him and vowing to make 'Stillknocks' pay.

Dricus du Plessis is booked to defend his middleweight title against Israel Adesanya in the headlining match of UFC 305 at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia, on Aug. 17, 2024 (Aug. 18 local time in Australia).

During his aforementioned appearance on The Rock's Morning Rumble, Israel Adesanya notably referenced Abdul Razak Alhassan's take on du Plessis' "real African" comments. He suggested that Alhassan was right because 'Stillknocks' supposedly disrespected those were weren't as privileged as him, had a different lifestyle, and were trying to improve their lives.

'Izzy' added:

"So, for me -- yeah, it's not about anything personal. I just want to take his head off and add that to my mantle piece, and that will be the trophy I'll take from this fight. F**k the belt." [5:08-minute mark]