“There's no f***ing way they're letting me in” - Flyweight contender shares how Israel Adesanya ruined face-off plan with Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 290
A top-tier UFC flyweight contender has suggested that Israel Adesanya ruined his potential face-off with Alexandre Pantoja at the UFC 290 event on July 8th, 2023.
Israel Adesanya's rival Dricus Du Plessis secured a second-round TKO victory over Robert Whittaker in their number-one contender's middleweight matchup at UFC 290. Following that, Adesanya entered the octagon and engaged in a fiery face-off with Du Plessis.
Moreover, Former-champion Brandon Moreno was booked to defend the UFC flyweight title against then-challenger Alexandre Pantoja in the event's co-headlining matchup. The No. 4-ranked UFC flyweight Brandon Royval weighed in as the backup fighter for the matchup.
Regardless, the Moreno-Pantoja fight proceeded as planned at UFC 290. Pantoja emerged victorious and captured the UFC flyweight title via split decision. The Moreno-Pantoja matchup took place right after the Adesanya-Du Plessis face-off.
In an interview with MMA journalist John Morgan, Brandon Royval revealed that he'd previously spoken to UFC matchmaker Mick Maynard about wanting an octagon face-off with the Moreno-Pantoja winner at UFC 290.
Royval indicated that Adesanya's heated face-off and comments discouraged the UFC from bringing him into the octagon for a face-off with Pantoja after the Moreno-Pantoja matchup. Royval explained:
"So in my eyes and in my opinion, I think I was going to go into the cage until 'Izzy's' a** walked into the cage. Another thing he [Mick Maynard] goes, '[UFC president] Dana White is not a fan of bringing people into the cage because sh** doesn't really go right all the time.' And then he goes, 'Sometimes crazy stuff happens.' And I'm like, 'Alright, cool.'"
"And then as soon as Dricus wins, because I was, like, so shocked he won; and then 'Izzy' steps up, walks in the cage. And I was like, 'Bro, I hope this fool does not f**k this up for me.' He goes in there and does what he does. And I'm like, 'There's no f***ing way they're letting me in the cage right now.' Pretty much the moment I saw 'Izzy' walk in the cage, I was like, 'Well, there goes that. There goes that one for sure.'"
Watch Royval discuss the topic in the video below:
Brandon Royval (@brandonroyval) was expecting to have a faceoff with the winner of the flyweight title fight at #UFC290 – until Israel Adesanya stepped in the octagon.
"I'm like 'There's no f-cking way they're letting me in the cage right now. ... There goes that.'"
🤣 🤣 🤣 https://t.co/5NA6HZae8F
Potential timeline for MMA icon Israel Adesanya's next UFC middleweight title defense
Presently, the consensus is that UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja could defend his title in a rematch against old foe Brandon Royval. However, the fight hasn't been officially announced as of yet. Meanwhile, it's believed that reigning UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya would likely defend his title against Dricus Du Plessis next.
There's been widespread speculation that Israel Adesanya's next fight could witness him compete at the upcoming UFC 293 event. The event is scheduled to take place in Sydney, Australia, on September 10th, 2023.
Both Israel Adesanya and Dricus Du Plessis have long been at loggerheads, with their UFC 290 face-off further escalating their rivalry. Many in the MMA community foresee the Adesanya-Du Plessis grudge match possibly headlining UFC 293.
Israel Adesanya appeared to confirm that he’ll fight at UFC 293 in Sydney. https://t.co/8nZT5VA5ei