‘He’s Behaving Like A Child, Conduct Yourself Like A Champion’

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – Dricus du Plessis did not appreciate Israel Adesanya’s UFC 290 antics.

Du Plessis picked up the biggest win of his career and claimed a title shot at UFC 290 last night (Sat., Jul. 8, 2023) when he finished former Middleweight champion Robert Whittaker in the second round via TKO from inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. ‘Stillknocks’ picked up a ‘Performance of the Night’ bonus for his huge TKO win.

Immediately after Du Plessis’ win, the UFC Middleweight champion entered the cage to stare him down, and it ended up getting pretty awkward and ugly.

Check it out:

During the UFC 290 post-fight press conference (watch here), Du Plessis ripped Adesanya for his in-cage trash talk.

“I mean, you saw tonight I’m prepared. I’m prepared for everything. Everything he says, anything – He’s behaving like a clown in there,” Du Plessis told reporters. “You know, that’s not how a champion behaves. That’s not how a man behaves. He’s behaving like a child; conduct yourself like a champion. There’s people looking up to you, and you’re behaving like that? Nah. If that sells tickets, good for him. I’ll sell tickets my way. I’m a gentleman. I’m a man. And I’ll behave like a man.”

While it isn’t officially confirmed, Adesanya vs. Du Plessis is potentially targeted for UFC 293 in Sydney, Australia. It all depends if the South African fighter can turn around in eight weeks to challenge for the title.

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