"Try get an easier fight" - Dricus du Plessis rejects Kelvin Gastelum's "title eliminator" callout, leads to online spat

Dricus du Plessis recently rejected Kelvin Gastelum's callout for a title eliminator fight on July 8 and urged the 31-year-old Californian to find himself an easier opponent.

After his unanimous decision victory over Chris Curtis at UFC 287, Gastelum took to Twitter to call out 'Stillknocks' for a fight that would decide middleweight champion Israel Adesanya's next opponent. He wrote:

"Title eliminator vs. @dricusduplessis on July 8. What do you say Dricus?"

Kelvin Gastelum was that South African smoke! 😮‍💨

@KelvinGastelum 🆚 @dricusduplessis could lead to somewhere interesting 👀 https://t.co/D8DU7xUMoI

However, the No.6-ranked du Plessis wasn't keen on the matchup. Responding to Gastelum's initial tweet, Dricus du Plessis rejected the offer and outlined the reasons why. He claimed Gastelum's record wasn't good enough and asked him to rake in some more wins.

Check out the tweet below:

@KelvinGastelum Bro much respect to you and all you’ve achieved and well done on a spectacular performance but 2-5 in the last 7 doesn’t really make sense for me and also you screwed me out of a fight last time so no thanks let’s talk again after a few more wins. Always been a fan of your fights

Kelvin Gastelum didn't back away and responded with a tweet trying to convince Dricus du Plessis to fight him. He insisted that 'Stillknocks' sign on for a fight if he is serious about gunning for the belt:

@dricusduplessis You always talk about wanting to fight for the title. You’ve got 1 more win to be able to get to that.
You best me, and you’re next one after is for a title, guaranteed.
I didn’t screw you,
I got injured and you know this.
If you’re serious about fighting for the title. Sign.

Dricus du Plessis seemingly took offense to Gastelum questioning his seriousness about fighting for UFC gold and fired a shot back by tweeting:

"Okay well If you’re serious about your UFC career, try to get an easier fight."

@KelvinGastelum Oky well If you’re serious about your UFC career try get an easier fight.

Considering both men's violent fighting styles, a du Plessis vs. Gastelum clash promises fireworks in the octagon. However, it appears the undefeated 'Stillknocks' is looking for opponents further up the ranks.

Dricus du Plessis next fight: Chael Sonnen believes 'Stillknocks' will face Israel Adesanya next

Trouble has been brewing between red-hot middleweight contender Dricus du Plessis and champion Israel Adesanya.

For context, Du Plessis and Adesanya have butted heads ever since the South African claimed he was more "African" than the “Three Kings”, which is a popular term used to describe Israel Adesanya, Francis Ngannou, and Kamaru Usman.

'Stillknocks' claimed that since Usman and Adesanya had immigrated from their African nations and grew up in the U.S. and New Zealand, respectively, they lost all rights to describe themselves as African.

Dricus du Plessis: "I'm the African fighter. Me and Cameron. WE breathe African air, WE wake up in Africa every day. " https://t.co/7xWfyfhvem

In a UFC 287 post-fight presser, 'The Last Stylebender' described his eagerness to teach 'Stillknocks' a lesson in respect without once naming him and threatened to "drag his carcass across South Africa."

In a recent video uploaded to his YouTube channel, Chael Sonnen claimed that he believes du Plessis will be Adesanya's next opponent. 'The American Gangster' outlined Adesanya's eagerness to face fresh opponents as the main reason and stated:

"Izzy hasn't told us much, andehe hasn't asked for very much, but he did say, 'I'd like to start fighting new guys'... that seems like a very small request. And all of a sudden du Plessis does start to make a lot of sense"

Watch the full video below: