As Dricus du Plessis and Israel Adesanya contest the first all-African UFC title fight, what will be the impact of their bout?
The UFC has placed the bitter cultural dispute between Dricus du Plessis and Israel Adesanya front and centre of its build-up to the promotion'sAdesanya, who has talked of his "beautiful childhood" in Lagos before moving to New Zealand as a 10-year-old, has accused Du Plessis of disrespecting the so-called
The 30-year-old believes the fact that Adesanya, Usman and Ngannou all live and train overseas lessens their right to call themselves African champions.Adesanya, who fights out of New Zealand, has said beating Du Plessis is more important than winning a middleweight title he has twice held before. For now, he says, MMA is progressing rather than thriving in Nigeria, with no existing system to train fighters to become rounded across key skills such as striking and groundwork."But do we have athletes who can make us proud? Yes, we have a lot of strong people here."
Nkazimulo Zulu, a two-weight champion for South Africa's Extreme Fighting Championship, says Du Plessis gives personal support to athletes at the CIT. The UFC sees Africa as a huge market with a rapidly growing audience but, despite long talking up the idea, the organisation is yet to hold an event on the continent during its 31-year history.
One of the first of those will involve Springboks icons Siya Kolisi and Eben Etzebeth, who will accompany Du Plessis to the octagon ahead of his battle with Adesanya."It is something Dana and the team have talked about a lot over the last year or so, and there is certainly a determination for it to happen soon," UFC executive David Shaw said of their plans for Africa.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
What time is the Dricus Du Plessis vs Israel Adesanya title fight at UFC 305?Israel Adesanya confirmed that he will face Dricus Du Plessis in a middleweight title bout at UFC 305 on 17 August in Perth.
Read more »
Dricus du Plessis will LOSE UFC 305 title fight vs Israel AdesanyaDricus du Plessis will lose his middleweight title against Israel Adesanya at UFC 305 in Perth, if bookmakers are to be believed.
Read more »
Dricus Du Plessis Trolls Israel Adesanya After Crying at UFC 305 Press ConferenceDricus du Plessis has aimed a dig at Israel Adesanya after the Nigerian cried at the press conference ahead of their UFC 305 middleweight title fight.
Read more »
Dricus Du Plessis Sends ‘Strong’ Warning to Israel Adesanya Ahead of UFC 305South African Mixed Martial Arts star Dricus Du Plessis has dropped comments ahead of his FC Middleweight Championship fight against Israel Adesanya.
Read more »
Time to watch Dricus du Plessis’ UFC title fight this weekendDricus du Plessis will look to defend his middleweight title against Israel Adesanya this weekend. Here is when the fight will take place.
Read more »
Dricus du Plessis to don green and gold at UFC 305Not only will their be Springboks in attendance but Dricus du Plessis will wear green and gold when he does battle with Israel Adesanya in Perth this weekend.
Read more »