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Israel Adesanya, the UFC middleweight champ, has never been one to shy away from controversy, but it appears the aftermath of his ugly post-UFC 290 confrontation with top contender Dricus Du Plessis has inspired him to rethink some of his prior statements.
Israel Adesanya: ‘I f*cked up back then’
Israel Adesanya recently appeared on The Halfcast Podcast and spoke openly about his past comments questioning Robert Whittaker’s status as a New Zealander. (Transcription via MMA Junkie).
“Funny enough, someone brought it to my attention that I did the same thing to Rob,” Adesanya said. “And I was like, ‘True, I did, because I called him a mozzie.’ And I was like, ‘F*ck, they’re right.’ But guess what? I was wrong. That’s called growth. I learned. I realized that’s – how’s this, a black guy, telling this f*cking Maori that, ‘Nah, you’re not a f*cking true Kiwi because you live in Australia.’ That’s stupid. So again, this is called growth.
“I can admit when I was wrong. I f*cked up back then, but you learn. So I would never say that to Rob again because, who am I to try and take away his heritage? That’s f*cking stupid. I wasn’t even born here, but I claim to be from here because this is where my fighting heritage is from. But for me to have to say that to Rob, that was very stupid and that was wrong. So I shouldn’t have done that – but you learn.”
Israel Adesanya has more to say about Driscus Du Plessis
In that same episode Israel Adesanya elaborated on his thinking about contender Driscus Du Plessis.
“Now he doesn’t want wanna fight,” Adesanya said on The Halfcast Podcast. “Even after [UFC 290], he’s like ‘Oh bro, all you had to do was put some gloves on, we could have got it on right there.’ Bh a**, f you wouldn’t have. ‘Cause guess what, he didn’t want it…People were like ‘Oh, he’s so classy walking away. He’s so [classy].’ I’m like ‘Bro, he didn’t even walk away. He felt me.” He didn’t wanna feel me.
“He’s not a scared man, he’s a tough dude. He’s very crafty, and he’s got a good team behind him. Smart team. I don’t think he’s a scared man, but I’ll tell you he’s scared of me. You know when you look in someone’s eyes, you just know straight away. He didn’t call me to the cage, I stepped in the cage myself. I didn’t even see him call me…I stepped into the cage because I made this s*** happen. This motherf***er – I hope, I really was hoping he’d f***ing step up. But he’s a b***h, and I’ll tell you right now. Keep training. Keep training. I’ve got something for you’re a**, so keep training.”
Still no opponent for Israel Adesanya at UFC 293
Meanwhile, the UFC is still seeking a headliner for UFC 293. After Du Plessis’ shocking victory over Robert Whittaker at UFC 290, it was hoped Adesanya would face the South African right away. but Du Plessis is too banged up.
Then briefly it appeared Sean Strickland would be the challenger, but the UFC is apparently not interested in booking that bout.
In a now deleted tweet, (via MMA News), Strickland seemed to be giving the UFC an ultimatum.
“Well Monday is my deadline for this fight to happen and if it doesn’t then fuck it life is good. I wont have to cancel my trip I had planned.
“BUT later in the year I want a top ranked guy… Whittaker, Brunson, Izzy.”
We’ll see who the UFC books for Adesanya at UFC 293. Stay tuned to Bloody Elbow for all the latest.
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