UFC 290: Israel Adesanya rants at Dricus du Plessis

Israel Adesanya launched a racially-charged tirade at his next title challenger Dricus du Plessis after the South African’s stunning knockout of Robert Whittaker at UFC 290.

Du Plessis stopped Whittaker inside two rounds with a barrage of punches in a shock conclusion to the middleweight contest in Las Vegas.

The cameras immediately cut to Adesanya in the audience, who glared back down the lens, before entering the cage to get in Du Plessis’ face in a racially-charged exchange.

The Stylebender and his entourage stood ominously behind Du Plessis as the South African reviewed the fight and spoke about all the cardio he’d been doing.

When interviewer Joe Rogan then introduced the ‘great Israel Adesanya,’ Du Plessis replied: ‘I don’t know about great.’

Israel Adesanya confronted Dricus Du Plessis in the Octagon and launched into a furious tirade about African heritage after the South African beat Robert Whittaker at UFC 290

The pair will face off in a middleweight showdown and there is no love lost between them

Adesanya then re-opened the long-standing feud between the pair over their African heritage, saying: ‘Relax, this is my African brother right here.’

He then launched into a tirade using the N-word, apparently to mock Du Plessis for his previous comments about being the only true African of the two, as they stood just inches apart.

‘I am African but I ain’t no brother of yours,’ said Du Plessis. ‘What do you say to everybody in New Zealand?’

The Nigerian-New Zealand fighter, who was born in Lagos but settled in New Zealand when he was 10, replied: ‘I don’t need a DNA test, I know where I’m from.’

Asked for his thoughts on then fight, Du Plessis started to answer before being interrupted by Adesanya, who said: ‘Absolutely, it’s an easy fight, it’s easy money.

‘I manifested this, I said I was going to have this moment and I know I’m going to have this moment.’

Challenging Du Plessis to look him directly in the eyes, Adesanya shouted ‘feel me’ before the pair finally separated.

Adesanya was in the audience in Las Vegas to size up his next challenge at middleweight

Du Plessis knocked out Whittaker with a flurry of punches in the second round in Las Vegas

Whittaker was fancied to win the contest but was stunned by the South African on Saturday

Du Plessis proved too strong for Whittaker and will now get a shot at the champion Adesanya

Du Plessis celebrates his win on Saturday night after a second round knockout of Whittaker

Du Plessis, 29, who hails from Pretoria in South Africa, has repeatedly questioned the African heritage of Adesanya, as well as former champions Francis Ngannou and Kamaru Usman, who also trained outside of the continent.

‘Did those belts ever go to Africa?’ Du Plessis said in March.

‘As far as I know, they came to America and New Zealand. I’m going to take a belt to Africa. I’m the African fighter in the UFC.

‘Myself and Cameron [Saaiman], we breathe African air. We wake up in Africa every day, we train in Africa, we’re African born, we’re African raised, we still reside in Africa, we train out of Africa – that’s an African champion, and that’s who I’ll be.’

Du Plessis stunned Whittaker with a straight right in the second round, leaving his opponent dazed, before following it up with a flurry of punches to stop the contest.

‘As I dropped him, I wanted to rush but stayed calm, as I turned southpaw the jab really catches him, he hits hard and fast and sharing a cage with a legend means so much,’ Du Plessis said.

‘Robert is a gentleman and I just beat a guy in the pound-for-pound rankings.’