Israel Adesanya threatens to drag unnamed fighter's "carcass across South Africa" at UFC 287 post-fight press conference
Israel Adesanya reclaimed the middleweight title in stunning fashion at UFC 287 when he knocked Alex Pereira out cold in the second round. His victory over 'Poatan' has led to questions about who could be next for 'The Last Stylebender', as he has beaten every middleweight in the top 5 right now.
During Adesanya's post-fight press conference, he shut down probes from several journalists regarding who the Nigerian-born Kiwi would like to face next. However, 'The Last Stylebender' did send a cryptic message to a certain middleweight, which he refused to name to avoid giving him 'clout'.
Israel Adesanya stated that he would love to "drag" the said-fighter's body across South Africa, which could mean that the now-champion was referring to No.6 ranked middleweight Dricus du Plessis, who hails from the rainbow nation.
"F**k I don't wanna give this n***a no clout, I wanna whoop his a** so bad. I wanna do it in South Africa or Nigeria. But he's got to do work, show me something. So I can whoop that a** and show you history, I'll remind you. 'Cause you've gotta choose your words wisely, when you speak on people that have come before, people that paved the way for you... I pray to God he keeps winning, I will gladly drag his carcass across South Africa."
Watch the video below from 7:15:
If 'The Last Stylebender' is referring to Dricus du Plessis, his hostility towards the South African could stem from an his comments about Adesanya, Kamaru Usman and Francis Ngannou. All three fighters were simultaneous UFC champions who hailed from Africa, and were dubbed the 'three kings'.
During Du Plessis' UFC 285 pre-fight press conference, none of the 'three kings' were still champion, and 'Stillknocks' was asked if the UFC going to Africa would be affected by the lack of an African champion. His response may have irked Adesanya, as he said this:
"Did those belts ever go to Africa? As far as I know, it came to America and New Zealand..."
Watch the video below from 10:05:
Dana White doubts that Israel Adesanya will face Alex Pereira again
Israel Adesanya sent shockwaves throughout the MMA-verse with his second-round knockout of Alex Pereira at UFC 287. The pair have now faced off four times in combat sports, with 'Poatan' holding a 3-1 advantage.
The pair have faced off twice in the UFC, with each winning via KO respectively. Given this, there has been speculation about a trilogy bout in the promotion.
But UFC president Dana White doubts that Adesanya and Pereira will meet again, citing the enormous amount of weight the Brazilian cuts at middleweight. He said the following after the event:
"I think that Pereira probably moves to [light heavyweight] after this fight. He's a monster, I know that he still had like two pounds to cut with like an hour left of weigh-ins..."
Watch the video below from 3:10: