Dricus du Plessis silenced the T-Mobile Arena as he finished former champion and UFC great Robert Whittaker at UFC 290. The South African star secured the win in the second round after standing his ground for most of the fight. With the win, du Plessis has established himself as the next challenger for Israel Adesanya‘s middleweight title.

du Plessis is 6-0 in the UFC with the win, extending his overall win streak to 8-0. ‘Stillknocks’ surprised a lot of pros and fans with the way he dominated the former champion, Whittaker.

du Plessis used his grappling effectively in the first round, finishing it on top of Whittaker after cutting him open with some vicious ground and pound. In the second, Whittaker looked like he was taking back control, landing his signature combinations. However, a power jab from the #5 ranked middleweight put the former champion down.

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The rest was just a formality as du Plessis chased the finish and forced the referee to step in after Whittaker covered up, taking several unanswered punches.

Dricus du Plessis and Israel Adesanya face-off at UFC 290

It was almost as if everyone except Dricus du Plessis and his team were shocked. Many expected Whittaker to cruise through the fight but du Plessis had other plans. After the win, du Plessis jumped the cage and greeted Dana White and former POTUS Donald Trump, who were cage side.

He paid respects to Whittaker in his post-fight speech and then faced off with Israel Adesanya. The champion entered the cage and was evidently fired up. The bad blood between the pair over the ‘real African’ debate reached its boiling point as Adesanya was cussing in du Plessis’ face.

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“This is my African brother right here. Let’s go n****. What’s up bit*h? Let’s go n****. yelled Adesanya as he got in du Plessis’ face.

“I’m African but I ain’ no brother of yours son,” clapped back du Plessis. “So what are you saying to everybody in New Zealand?” he said.

Adesanya responded, “I don’t need a DNA test. I don’t need a 36 and me to know where I’m from. If I do a 26 and me they’ll say I’m from Nigeria. Do a 26 and me DNA test. It’ll tell you where you’re from. I will show you where you’re from.”

The undertones of race and geographical identity behind Adesanya’s jibes

This deeply personal rivalry between the top two middleweights had its inceptions in the South African-born fighter’s claim that Adesanya isn’t a “true” African given his residence in New Zealand and that he will bring the middleweight title to the continent of Africa. Adesanya didn’t take too kindly to these remarks as he considers himself a proud champion of Africa being born in Lagos, Nigeria, and carrying African descent. This led to a fierce back and forth via social media and in press interviews. The latest chapter in this identity-laden rivalry was at UFC 290 after ‘Still knocks’ TKO’d former champ Whittaker and all but confirmed a title shot against the Kiwi.

Adesanya’s first words to his new challenger were related to race, repeatedly saying the n-word and referencing a ’23 and me test’ which he comically called a ’26 and me test’. This is a test taken to check the ancestral crib of a fighter using a DNA sample. It can be inferred that Adesanya was implying that he was rooted in Nigerian ancestry whereas du Plessis’s ancestry would still trace back to a racially white background. In the post-match press conference, the Hatfield native expressed his displeasure at Adesanya bringing race into the equation. du Plessis said, “I think that, the fact that Israel Adesanya brought race into the conversation, that anybody brings race into a conversation like this, that was disgusting. I thought that was terrible. I thought that was taking a step backwards.” 

The two fighters are evidently ready to go and all that is pending is the fight announcement. They are likely to lock horns at UFC 293 in September. Who do you think will come out on top in this one? And what are your thoughts on du Plessis vs. Whittaker?

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Let us know in the comments below.