"Be Careful What You Wish For" - Israel Adesanya Claps Back At African Rival

"Be Careful What You Wish For" - Israel Adesanya Claps Back At African Rival

By Gbenga Gboyega 

UFC fighter and current middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya told African counterpart Dricus du Plessis to be careful what he wished for, after the latter claimed he'll "be the only African Champion in the UFC". 

The South African mixed martial arts fighter claimed both the New Zealand-born Israel Adesanya, and the America-based Kamaru Usman aren't fighting for their home countries nor the African continent, unlike himself who is born, bred, and based in Africa. 

"I'm the African fighter in the UFC. Myself and Cameron [Saaiman, Du Plessis' teammate], 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." 

Israel Adesanya who just defeated Alex Pereira in the middleweight division in UFC 287 following four meetings between the pair responded sternly to Dricus, while taunting him for a mashup. 

"I'm going to f***ing take him to school, in the Octagon, and on history. 

"What he's doing is creating a divide. You can't know your history, I have never questioned him as an African, because yeah, you were born in Africa. South Africa.

"Of course, you're an African. I have never questioned that. But who the f**k is this cracker to tell me who the f**k I am? Who the f**k Kamaru is, who the f**k Ngannou is? I'm like, are you dumb? As a product of colonization, you're trying to tell me who the f**k I am.

"You can take the boy out of Africa, but you can never take Africa out of the boy. I never ever did that to him. I never discredited him as an African. Okay, there you are. Cool. Do you want to make a fight? Cool. 

"But the fact that as a f***ing cracker, to tell me who the f**k I am, that p***ed me off, and that's why he's my next fight. I don't want to fight anyone else. This one p***es me off." 

On whether the pair had any previous opportunity to meet, Adesanya said "I tried to do it in South Africa, but it might not work.

"But again, I told Dana, you guys beat COVID before any other big sporting league got on the field or the court, you guys did that. You can do anything. I still believe they can. I want to do it in South Africa or somewhere in Africa. 

"As I said, he's created, division. I don't like that. He didn't have to do that. He didn't have to do that. You don't understand, I'm here now. I'm going to f**k this guy up. I'm going to torture this guy.

"You don't have to create division. This is not the time for that s***. You could have got the fight without talking all that s***. Well, be careful what you wish for. You got what you want. He's next. I'm going to f***ing beat him until he's black."

Adesanya may not get his wish soon as Dricus has a compulsory challenger at hand, Robert Whittaker, when the pair face off in a title eliminator bout at UFC 290 come July 2023.