Dricus du Plessis doubles down on his African pride, responds fiercely to Israel Adesanya’s threat post-UFC 287 win

Israel Adesanya's recent victory over Alex Pereira not only settled their rivalry but also saw him regain the UFC middleweight title.

However, the middleweight king is now facing a dilemma in finding a suitable opponent for his next fight, especially if Pereira moves to the 205-pound division, as some suggest.

The current sixth-ranked contender, Dricus du Plessis, seems like the best opponent for Adesanya, with a built-in storyline that could promote the fight. Du Plessis, who fights out of South Africa, recently expressed his desire to become the UFC's first real African titleholder, a statement that was interpreted as a slight against 'The Last Stylebender,' who also has African heritage.

Israel Adesanya's reaction to Du Plessis' statement was furious, although he refused to mention him by name, saying he would "drag his carcass across South Africa" if they were to ever fight.

Israel Adesanya says he doesn’t want to give this specific fighter clout but here’s the message #UFC287 https://t.co/3wWNmuErbK

Responding to Adesanya's claims, 'Stillknocks' took to his Twitter handle and wrote:

"So you won’t say my name, that’s smart you better not. I don’t need your airtime at all, I have my whole continent of AFRICA behind me. Go enjoy your very spectacular victory at home in New Zealand. We are Africa we fear nothing. #stillknocks #greenandgold🇿🇦 #proudlyafrican"

Check out Dricus du Plessis's tweet below:

So you won’t say my name, that’s smart you better not.
I don’t need your airtime at all, I have my whole continent of AFRICA behind me.
Go enjoy your very spectacular victory at home in New Zealand .
We are Africa we fear nothing.
#stillknocks #greenandgold🇿🇦 #proudlyafrican https://t.co/QxpPIuF2Gn

Israel Adesanya not giving Alex Pereira another chance for a title shot anytime soon

During his post-fight press conference, Israel Adesanya made it clear that he has no interest in a trilogy fight with Alex Pereira. Adesanya stated that he gave Pereira a quick path to the title, and now Pereira must work his way back up the ranks if he wants another shot at the belt.

Adesanya also noted that Pereira may move up to the 205-pound weight class, and if he does, he will be a tough opponent for anyone to face:

"I gave him a fast track to the belt...But also, I was looking for that challenge...Now he's gotta do the hard yards if he wants to do that, but I don't think he's gonna because he'll go cause problems at 205 [lbs], and f*ck, good luck to everybody else because he's a motherf*cker to deal with."

Check out Israel Adesanya's post-fight interview below:

Israel Adesanya denies trilogy fight with Alex Pereira: 'I don't keep scores' 🤔 https://t.co/CWWftGs7N5