Dricus Du Plessis Reacts to Israel Adesanya’s Shocking Defeat at UFC 293

Dricus Du Plessis Reacts to Israel Adesanya’s Shocking Defeat at UFC 293

Byron Pillay
updated at September 11, 2023 at 6:46 AM
  • Dricus du Plessis has reacted to Israel Adesanya's loss to Sean Strickland at UFC 293
  • Du Plessis and Adesanya have been involved in a heated rivalry in the UFC recently
  • The South African was scheduled to face Adesanya for the title but suffered an injury

Dricus du Plessis is stunned, just like the rest of the world.

The UFC Middleweight fighter took to social media to share his surprise after the main event of UFC 293.

Israel Adesanya and Dricus du Plessis faces off.
Dricus du Plessis has reacted with shock after his rival, Israel Adesanya, was beaten at UFC 293. Image: Jeff Bottari.
Source: Getty Images

As noted by DAZN, Sean Strickland shocked the world when he beat Adesanya by unanimous decision to win the Middleweight title.

The American fighter won four of the five rounds on the judges’ scorecards and left Izzy battered and bruised.

Much like the rest of the MMA fans around the world, du Plessis was shocked by the result, especially as he was next in line to face the Nigerian-born Kiwi.

Du Plessis was due to fight the former champion at UFC 293 for the title but was nursing a foot injury. Strickland then stepped up in his place and shocked the world.

Adesanya and du Plessis have shared a storied rivalry, and fans were eager to see the two face off.

Their war of words has been building since du Plessis said he wanted to be the first African champion who lives and trains on the continent, a comment that angered The Last Stylebender.

Strickland defeats Adesanya at UFC 293

As Sports Brief also reported, Sean Strickland is the new UFC Middleweight champion, with the American fighter producing one of the biggest upsets in modern-day UFC history.

He defeated Adesanya by unanimous decision to claim the belt in the main event of UFC 293, with Izzy failing to find his range during the bout and struggling against Strickland's power.

Adesanya planned to insult du Plessis

Sports Brief also previously reported that the tension between Israel Adesanya and Dricus du Plessis continues to rise.

The Nigerian-born fighter and the South African were set to collide at UFC 293, and things are heating up between them.

The animosity between Adesanya and du Plessis began when the latter said he wanted to be the first 'real African champ'.

Authors
Byron Pillay photo
Byron Pillay
Byron Pillay is a sports writer and Head of the Department at Sports Brief (joined in 2022) with over 10 years of experience in community journalism and a degree in journalism from Caxton's Cadet School.
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Israel AdesanyaNigeriaSouth AfricaWorld