South African MMA fighter, Dricus Du Plessis has slammed critic Chael Sonnen over his comments, after UFC 293 Israel Adesanya’s loss to Sean Strickland.
After his win over Robert Whittaker at UFC 290, Du Plessis was the clear No. 1 contender to face Israel Adesanya next.
But he came on social media to announce a foot injury which would prevent him from fighting and Sean Strickland stepped up to fill his shoes.
In one of the biggest MMA upsets ever, Strickland took the title from Adesanya. In the aftermath, Sonnen said that the South African messed up his title opportunity and now is stuck in limbo, something that upset Du Plessis.
“We did a faceoff,” Du Plessis said on The MMA Hour. “The champion got in there, so it was set in stone. I am the No. 1 contender in the world. For me, that was basically set in stone.
“Even backstage we spoke about it, going to Australia, what the arrangements would be, with the powers that be. So it was a done deal, but I said it at the presser, if I’m medically able to, that’s the fight I’m going to take.
“Chael Sonnen said something stupid like, ‘Dricus wasn’t even limping when he was walking out of the cage!’ What a dumb thing to say. All that adrenaline in your body, you just knocked out Whittaker, faced off with Adesanya, you think I’m going to walk with a limp? I don’t know what kind of man you are but I’ll fake that limp every day.”
UFC CEO Dana White has already suggested an immediate rematch is for Adesanya and as Sonnen noted, the winner of the upcoming fight between Khamzet Chimaev and Paulo Costa could also jump Du Plessis.
