Israel Adesanya, carrying the Nigerian flag during his entrances, tells a lot about his love for his native country, Nigeria. Despite being currently settled in New Zealand, ‘The Last Stylebender’ still identifies himself as an African fighter. However, this also got him into an online altercation with his fellow Middleweight, Dricus Du Plessis. ‘Stillknocks’ was of the opinion that since he lived in Africa, he was the only real African fighter in the UFC. The feud got so heated that UFC fans saw a possibility of a bout between these two.
Apparently, the UFC was also giving a push to the bout. The authorities of the promotion have matched up Du Plessis against the former UFC Middleweight kingpin, Robert Whittaker, for a virtual title eliminator. But as it seems, not everybody is happy about this decision from the UFC. Recently, the known UFC Middleweight, Brendan Allen, opinionated why Du Plessis was receiving this opportunity despite being a rather undeserving one.
Is the UFC’s requirement for new faces the reason behind Dricus Du Plessis’ push?
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Allen was interviewed by ‘MMA Junkie’, where he talked about a variety of other issues, including the Dricus Du Plessis matter. ‘All In’ opined that it might be ‘Stillknocks’s’ freshness in the promotion, which was the factor behind his push for a title shot.
Allen stated, “I think like, they[the UFC] just want new blood, you know. That’s the only reason Dricus is in there. Because, let’s be honest, who has he fought?” A number of fans might agree with Allen here. Although the 5-0 UFC record holder managed to get the better of all his opponents, some fans might still think that he’s being pushed toward the Middleweight title too early.
Allen also broke down how Du Plessis was smothered by his opponents at various points in his bouts. He stated, “He beat Darren up in the first and got his a*s kicked in the second and was getting beat up in the third.”
Allen continued, “Was getting beat up by Marcus Perez, was getting beat up by Trevin Giles.” Evidently, Du Plessis hadn’t been through the real elites of the Middleweight division yet.
READ MORE – “Israel Adesanya’s Ex-Girlfriend Charlotte Powdrell Wants Half of His Wealth” – Are the Claims True?
Still, a number of fighters have already caused some trouble for him in his bouts. Some may take this as his ineligibility to get a push toward Israel Adesanya’s Middleweight championship.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Who did Brendan Allen favor between Robert Whittaker and Dricus Du Plessis?
The reporter also wanted to know Allen’s opinion about Du Plessis’ scheduled opponent, Robert Whittaker. He asked, “Whittaker is already a super-skilled former champion, but has lost twice already to Adesanya. Do you feel there’s room there for him to beat Adesanya? Or you just feel like that guy has Whittaker’s number at this point.”
Watch this Story – Alex Pereira’s struggle before UFC fame laid bare by coach
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
‘All in’ kept his answer short and simple. He stated, “I think Whittaker can go out there and win.” After listening to the entire conversation, a number of fans might say that Allen had a bit of distaste towards Du Plessis while he looked a lot more appreciative toward ‘The Reaper’ Whittaker.
Who do you think will emerge as the victor of the Du Plessis vs Whittaker bout?
