Israel Adesanya snaps back at Dricus du Plessis on allegations of refusing UFC title fight on “home soil” of Africa

Israel Adesanya recently retaliated against Dricus du Plessis following accusations of declining a UFC title fight in Africa.

Adesanya and du Plessis have been on a collision course long before their heated confrontation at UFC 290 last July. Their rivalry originates from when 'The Last Stylebender' was the middleweight champion, and du Plessis called him out, vowing to become a true African champion and bring the belt back to Africa.

The MMA community anticipated a showdown between the two fighters in Africa, given their shared roots in the continent. Adesanya hails from Nigeria, while du Plessis is a native of South Africa.

At one point, there was optimism for the UFC to host an event in Africa, especially with Adesanya, Kamaru Usman, and Francis Ngannou all reigning as UFC champions. However, it appears that these plans are no longer on the horizon for the UFC.

There were speculations about du Plessis and Adesanya headlining the milestone UFC 300 event, with 'The Last Stylebender' admitting he had agreed to the matchup. However, 'Stillknocks' believed he wasn't prepared for the bout and declined. Later, the reigning champion asserted on Cameron Saaiman's MSP Show that Adesanya lacked the courage to face him in Africa.

The former 185-pound champion recently fired back at du Plessis in a video on his YouTube channel and recalled his rival's choice not to vie for the belt at UFC 293 last September:

"It would have been nice if Au Dupu**y would have been like, Yeah, let's fight. But again, 'Aw, my pu**y hurts. So he didn't want to fight [at UFC 300]. It's all good. It's whatever. I got time of day."

Du Plessis added:

"He said something like, 'I guess he didn't want to fight me - the King of Africa - in home soil.' N***a, you didn't want to fight me on home soil [at UFC 293], so shut the f*** up!"

Check out Israel Adesanya's comments below:

After defeating Robert Whittaker following UFC 290, 'Stillknocks' was assured a title shot. However, du Plessis couldn't compete within that timeframe. Consequently, Adesanya suffered a shocking loss to Sean Strickland at UFC 293, and the American subsequently relinquished the title to du Plessis at UFC 297 in January.

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Dricus du Plessis challenges Israel Adesanya for UFC 305 in Australia

The long-standing rivalry appears to be reaching its climax amid rumors of Dricus du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya being eyed as the headline bout for UFC 305 in August, set to take place in Perth, Australia.

The reigning champion addressed those speculations in an Instagram by issuing a challenge to 'The Last Stylebender':

"Looks like someone wants another beating in Aus. I’m in, and I also wouldn’t want to fight the king of Africa on home soil. Manifestations are working well for you AGAIN! #stillknocks #proudlysouthafrican #preparetobeamazed #championoftheworld”

Check out Dricus du Plessis' post below: