Australian UFC champion Robert Whittaker suffers an upset loss to South African sensation Dricus du Plessis before his next opponent, Israel Adesayna, confronts him with a foul-mouthed racist tirade.
- Springbok achieved eight wins in a row
- Its devastating power angered the reigning world champion.
- Their title match will be in Australia.
Rising star South African middleweight Dricus du Plessis earned a shot at defending champion Israel Adesanya with a stunning second-round knockdown of Australia’s Robert Whittaker at UFC 290.
Whittaker was faltering towards the end of the first round, but seemed collected and back on track as the second began.
However, a right hand from du Plessis thrown with such force that it utterly shook Whittaker’s soul, opened the door for his next impressive 30 seconds.
He saw that the former world champion, known as The Reaper, was injured, struggling and backing down, so he chased him around the ring; throwing lefts and rights that brought him to his knees.
It was then that Whittaker tried to cover up that he pounced and unleashed a non-stop barrage until the referee jumped in to protect the injured and battered Australian.
A right hand did the damage and former champion Robert Whittaker just didn’t recover, allowing Dricus du Plessis to continue hitting him.
When on the canvas South Africa’s du Plessis was relentless in throwing punches at the grieving Australian
Du Plessis is a powerhouse in the middleweight division and handed Whittaker a rare KO loss in this Las Vegas clash.
Prior to the fight, Whittaker held a 14-2 record in MMA, making it a shocking loss for the Australian star.
And Du Plessis showed his enormous respect for the Australian after the fight.
“To be able to share the cage with a legend like Robert is truly the greatest honor of my entire fighting career,” du Plessis said during the beginning of his post-fight interview with UFC commentator Joe Rogan.
‘A guy whose poster I had in my room, wishing I was like him one day.
“Robert, I don’t know where he is, but he is a gentleman, a humble man and truly a legend of the game.”
But no sooner had du Plessis felt the surge of pride and ecstasy from his victory than he jumped at the defending champion and his next opponent, Israel Adesanya, who launched into a racist and profane tirade.
Du Plessis himself may have contributed to this when Rogan introduced them in the middle of the ring saying: ‘here is the great middleweight of the UFC’.
The South African cheekily quipped, “I don’t know if it’s cool,” and that’s when the champion blew up.
The joy of victory for Dricus du Plessis was sweet, as he earned a shot at a world title in Sydney in September.
Reigning middleweight champion Izzy Adesanya in a black jersey takes on the impressive Dricus du Plessis who had just submitted Australian Robert Whittaker after the fight.
It unleashed a tsunami of profanity-based claims mostly related to African heritage.
Adesanya saw red and they butted heads, before the champion said: ‘This is my African brother here. Come on nigga, what’s up bitch?
‘Come on nigga’. Yeah nigga What’s up nigga? What the fuck you gonna do, nigga?
Du Plessis replied: ‘Get this shit out!’
Adesanya was undeterred and said, ‘Yes my African brother, yes my African brother. What’s up nigga, yeah nigga’.
Du Plessis said: “I am African, but I am not your brother.”
“You’re my real nigga,” Adesanya said antagonistically, before continuing his tirade on the subject of career.
When he calmed down and Adesanya left the ring, Rogan with the microphone in hand said the obvious.
‘This guy (du Plessis) is a tank.’
‘He’s a really dangerous guy. To do that against a guy like Whittaker is a real wake-up call for the rest of the division.’
Whittaker’s loss kept the Australian curse going with Jimmy Crute and Shannon Ross also losing earlier on the undercard.
Adesanya will face du Plessis for the world title in Sydney on September 10 at UFC 293.
