"He’s IZZYs secret boyfriend" - 'Blood Diamond' accused of receiving Israel Adesanya's friendship privilege amidst UFC 293 fight booking
Being friends with the UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya seems to have its perks. At least that's what fans opined when it was confirmed that Adesanya's City Kickboxing teammate Mike Mathetha will fight Charles Radke in a welterweight contest at UFC 293 in Sydney on September 9.
MMA journalist Marcel Dorff recently confirmed the matchup via Twitter. However, fans weren't impressed with Mathetha's resume and questioned why the UFC handed the Zimbabwe-born Kiwi so many chances.
Considering that Mike Mathetha (3-2) hasn't won a fight since February 2020 and has yet to register a UFC win, fans took to the tweet's comments section to speculate how his friendship with Israel Adesanya may have benefitted him.
Mike Mathetha will fight Charles Radtke at #UFC293 on September 9th. (first rep. @telegraph_sport) #UFC #MMA #UFCESPN #UFC2023 #UFCSydney https://t.co/Tc2cy9ZMjp
One fan crudely joked that Mathetha was secretly dating Adesanya and wrote:
"I’m dead-ass convinced he’s IZZYs secret boyfriend there’s no other explanation he is AS***SS."
@BigMarcel24 @telegraph_sport @ChuckBuffaloMMA I’m deadass convinced he’s IZZYs secret boyfriend there’s no other explanation he is ASSSSS
Another fan joked about Mathetha's record and wrote:
"I have no idea who Radtke is. But I’m picking him to win."
Another user chimed in, writing:
"My man took so many Ls he don’t even deserve his nickname any more."
One fan speculated that Israel Adesanya has the UFC in a chokehold, writing:
"Ain’t no way they’re still tryna convince us he’s UFC caliber damn Izzy has ‘em by the balls."
One fan referenced Adesanya's infamous "frozen like Elsa" line and joked:
"Being friends with Elsa really gets a joke fighter 3 Ls in the UFC, smh."
One fan wrote:
"0-3 loading."
Israel Adesanya next fight: 'The Last Stylebender' looks forward to hurting Dricus du Plessis in the octagon
Israel Adesanya isn't planning to go easy on Dricus du Plessis. 'The Last Stylebender' recently claimed he wants to hurt the South African like no one before. 'Stillknocks' recently passed the toughest test of his career against Robert Whittaker with flying colors.
Du Plessis shockingly defeated the Australian via second-round TKO at UFC 290 and will likely challenge Adesanya for the middleweight title next. Adesanya and du Plessis shared an intense, racially-charged face-off in the octagon in the immediate aftermath of the title eliminator.
Israel Adesanya goes off on Dricus Du Plessis and tells him to take a DNA test to prove he's African. 😳
https://t.co/HtrcTVLRfs
Given their ongoing conflict due to Dricus du Plessis' comments on Israel Adesanya's African roots, in a recent video uploaded on his YouTube channel, 'The Last Stylebender' said:
"I’ve never been more motivated to kill a man. When I say that, I mean like not to end his life, but to really put a beating on someone... Just really want to take time and really put a beating on someone, and I’m going to work my way to get that done."
Watch the full video below: