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Israel Adesanya is one of the biggest stars the UFC currently has to offer.
The reigning middleweight champion is as talent in the octagon as he is boisterous outside of it.
But he’s not everyone’s cup of tea.
Take, for instance, his decision to mock Alex Pereira’s 12-year-son after knocking out Pereira at UFC 287.
Adesanya’s latest controversy came on Saturday night at UFC 290. After Dricus Du Plessis defeated Robert Whittaker to become the de facto No. 1 contender for Adesanya’s belt, the current champion entered the cage to confront him.
He then went face-to-face with Du Plessis, repeatedly using the N-word while challenging the South African fighter, who is white.
WTF IS ISRAEL ADESANYA SAYING 💀💀#UFC290 pic.twitter.com/gIUPFyKjCr
— Jmag (@Jmagings) July 9, 2023
Du Plessis had previously called himself the “real African” fighter., as Adesanya was born in Nigeria was lives and trains in New Zealand.
Now former UFC star Chael Sonnen is weighing in, stating that Adesanya “lost his mind” during the altercation.
“[Adesanya] lost his mind tonight in front of you and it was real and it didn’t have anything to do with money and it did not have anything to do with fame,” Sonnen said on his YouTube channel. “He lost his mind tonight on a poor up-and-comer, who does not have a beautiful contract, who is not world-known, who is not a face that is going to go down as an icon of his industry. The big man picked on the little man and he couldn’t control himself. It was real. And it was real because ‘Izzy’ hasn’t let that other stuff in. He hasn’t let those distractions in. He’s that same hungry guy.
“For ‘Izzy,’ it’s still about competition. It’s a very interesting mindset that takes an extreme discipline. I have never seen anybody come through this sport that has controlled their career more than Israel Adesanya. Nobody has called their shot and I do mean nobody.”
There’s no set date for Adesanya and Du Plessis to fight as of now. But the UFC is rumored to be targeting UFC 293 on Sept. 10 in Sydney, Australia.