Dricus du Plessis is set to fight former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker at UFC 290. Meanwhile, the reigning champion Israel Adesanya sat down with lightweight fighter Dan Hooker to share their analysis and prediction for the fight. ‘The Last Stylebender’ made a rather bold prediction of how the middleweight clash will go down.

The fight between Dricus du Plessis and Robert Whittaker will determine who advances to get the title shot against Adesanya. As we approach UFC 290, the Nigerian-born Kiwi fighter is taking a keen interest as to who wins the fight. Let us see what he had to say.

Israel Adesanya wants Dricus du Plessis to win

‘The Last Stylebender’ mentioned how most people will talk about Robert Whittaker going into the fight as a favorite. This is primarily due to the fact that he’s already been a champion. Adesanya said, “On paper or through their resume, people will look at Rob and say, ‘Rob’s got this, Rob’s gonna smoke this guy [and he’s a] former champion.'”

Furthermore, Israel Adesanya claimed that Dricus du Plessis uses dirty tactics during his fights. These tactics have proven to be always successful since he’s yet to lose a fight in the UFC. Moreover, Adesanya hopes that du Plessis grabs the win somehow at UFC 290. “Dricus Fights ugly, but he always finds a way to win… I really pray that he gets it done against Rob because I think it’s one for the history books.”

‘The Last Stylebender’ has bad intentions regarding du Plessis

While it was unusual to see Adesanya root for the South African to win, he revealed the reason he wants him to emerge victorious this weekend. Their ‘real African’ debate is what started their beef and Israel Adesanya plans to punish ‘Stillknocks’ for making those comments. He said, “Dricus, if he wins, I am gonna punish him… I am gonna torture him.”

Moreover, when he was asked about the chances of du Plessis beating Robert Whittaker, Izzy gave him the full advantage. He said, “I will give him a 100 percent chance [On du Plessis winning the fight].” Israel Adesanya added, “He’s gonna beat Rob. So my bet’s on Dricus ‘The African Warrior’ du Plessis.”

READ MORE: “I Didn’t Say That”: Backtracking on Earlier Claims About Real African Heritage, Dricus Du Plessis Sends Israel Adesanya a Demand Ahead of UFC 290

While Robert Whittaker is no cakewalk for Dricus du Plessis, the Australian seems to respect his South African counterpart. He is taking him seriously as a threat and is not willing to take a chance by underestimating what ‘Stillknocks’ can bring to the table. We will have to wait and see if Adesanya’s prediction comes true this weekend.

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