August 16, 2024 • 22 mins
Dricus Du Plessis defends his middleweight championship against Israel Adesanya and Daniel Cormier is here to check-in with the champ! Du Plessis talks about the rivalry he has with Izzy, and goes through his take on their first encounter in the octagon after Dricus' win over Robert Whittaker. Plus, Du Plessis points out exactly how he'll be able to beat Israel Adesanya with his unique style of fighting. And don't miss Dricus breakdown both his and Izzy's fights vs. Sean Strickland and why those results will play a factor in this title fight. #Volume #Herd
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
The volume.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
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boyd DC living life floating, Guys, I'm here with the
middleweight champion Dracers du plus see the middleweight champion, Like,
(01:25):
I mean, that is a that is that is that
has to be music to your ears because so many
didn't think that you could do that when everything you
put on paper showed that you were just about to
do that, but for some reason, people were so late
to jump on board. Uh how good does it feel
to get to where you knew you would get but
(01:47):
so many questions whether or not you could.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
Yeah, I mean, it's it's actually amazing.
Speaker 4 (01:51):
I mean I've dedicated my whole life to this sport
like so many others. I mean, anybody I believe that's
in the UFCS dedicated their life to this sport and
to be at depending on it and being a champion
is I mean, it's it's you know, it's amazing for
myself and and you know, for South Africa to fight
as a proud spwarding nation we love to God and
(02:13):
being the first South African wearing that flag and being
able to do my country, problem my people, my my team,
my friends and family that's been there through all these
years and believing in my dream.
Speaker 1 (02:25):
It's the most amazing feeling. And you know, I'm very
very happy.
Speaker 2 (02:30):
So many people may have questioned Dracus. Even though the
work showed you were getting here, those people in your
corner never ever doubted whether or not you would ultimately
get to where you're going. Okay, so we go back
to Canada, right, You're fighting Sean Strickland, and it is
Sean Strickland, so there's a lot that comes with it,
but you were able to stay in the moment. You
(02:51):
were able to stay within yourself under some pretty unique circumstances,
right from all the things that he says to the
way that he fights. But in that fight, you showed
once again why you're the best in the world because
it was your pace, it was your pressure, and in
those moments where and this is what I said in
the fight, and I'm not walking it back when you
(03:12):
were putting five six, seven, eight nine, Sean wasn't really
matching that effort in intensity. Did you know that would
be what separated you from him to become the champion,
Because in Sean Strickland fashion, I won the fight. I
thought I won, but it didn't seem that off to
me because it seemed like you were a guy putting
(03:33):
in the effort.
Speaker 1 (03:33):
Yeah, I mean I went the way I looked at it.
Speaker 4 (03:35):
And obviously after that first John, he was landing the
jab and he was doing you know what he does
past And the mistake I made at first Jehan was
I took the jab and the jab is spot on.
He throws that jab very the way he throws it,
it lands. But it wasn't a job that I went
that rocks me. I just I just thought, you can
hit me all night with this jab. I'm looking through.
Speaker 1 (03:57):
It and I'm gonna land my show. Yeah, because I
wasn't concerned about it. I just knew the jat So.
Speaker 4 (04:05):
By the third minute of this first round, I started
seeing my own eye.
Speaker 1 (04:09):
Just a little bit swollen.
Speaker 4 (04:10):
Yeah, And I realized this is small gloves. Even though
the girl's not hurting me, it's your face is going
to be hurt anyways. So I had to make that adjudgment.
I can't just walk through this chat. But the constant
pressure because one thing when we studied the shaw and fight,
his gas tank is that of somebody that can fire
(04:30):
when he's walking forward, when he's dictating pace, when he's
he's got you bathing to the faint when he baits
you and you're fainting for every shot because it's just touching, touching,
and I knew when you're going backwards and he's a
volume striker.
Speaker 1 (04:45):
He's not a hard bunch. He's a volume striker.
Speaker 4 (04:46):
So for a volume striker to go backwards and strike
a volume.
Speaker 1 (04:50):
It's not going to be.
Speaker 4 (04:51):
It's basically impossible, you know, walking backwards and just throwing volume,
it's not going to work. So that was the plan
with the guy like Stricken, because he's a bully into
when he fights, you know, is you almost and you
see in his fights he always talks to his opponent
once he starts getting off, once he starts catching them
walking forward, he sees them kind of being tied and
you know, trying to catch a break.
Speaker 1 (05:12):
That's when he starts talking to them.
Speaker 4 (05:13):
He didn't say one single word to me while we
were fighting, because you're able to because I was. I
was the brilliant that fight, and I think that was
what won with that fight. And if you can look
at the stats, it was twenty three minutes of me
going forward in that fight, yeah, and two.
Speaker 1 (05:29):
Minutes of him.
Speaker 4 (05:29):
So a fight that closely gon tested on the feet.
Even though I had more kicks, he had more jabs,
He had more higher strikes that it landed.
Speaker 1 (05:40):
But if you go on damage, I wasn't cut. My
face looked pretty bad.
Speaker 4 (05:44):
But and just in terms of kicks, in terms of
mixing it up and being scored as in MMA fight,
the takedowns were not something that I didn't want to
fight this fight on the ground.
Speaker 1 (05:57):
It wasn't that it was to make sure I'm winning
that round.
Speaker 2 (06:01):
So you become the champion, and everybody that has a
pulse starts to look forward to what we are at
right now. You and Adissanya right, because when you beat
Robert Whitaker, you guys had a very very uncomfortable interaction
inside the octagon. There have been some uncomfortable rivalries in
the UFC right where at times you look away like,
(06:24):
I don't know if I feel comfortable with this. Right,
it was Habib and Connor at times got very bad.
Jones and myself at times got very bad. But then
when we watch this one, it got a bit uncomfortable
because of the it what it's rooted in is something
much bigger, or at least it seems that it's much
bigger than the sport. Was that uncomfortable to you to
(06:47):
be in there with Izzy having that interaction and then
knowing after you became the champ, I'm probably gonna get
to fight this dude and put an into all all
of this.
Speaker 1 (06:56):
At least, I.
Speaker 4 (06:57):
Don't think it was uncomfortable for me when he got
into the octagon with the Robert Whittaker fight. I saw
that as a big win because he made himself uncomfortable
with was me standing there watching that video afterwards?
Speaker 1 (07:12):
I just went his team is definitely telling him, what
are you doing? You shouldn't be doing that.
Speaker 4 (07:16):
It was it was It was an emotional reaction from
his side.
Speaker 1 (07:22):
So why why do you think?
Speaker 3 (07:24):
Why do you think though?
Speaker 2 (07:24):
Do you think at that moment you became real because
you beat Robert Whitaker, you became like a real threat.
Speaker 3 (07:31):
Do you think that's why he reacted in that way?
Speaker 4 (07:34):
Absolutely, you have to think that that that is the case,
because every fight it was Robert Whitteker. Well, you're fighting easy,
you lose to Easy, you fight Whitaker. This way was
the other one. This time was the other way around.
So Whittaker was his gatekeeper. Yeah, because fighting Robert Whitaker again,
he knows he beats Whitaker. Now he's got to deal
(07:56):
with me. Who did beat Robert woldikin in very so
exacular fashion. So I think that definitely played a role.
And yeah, and you don't know in what mind state
he was. You know, we all would like to have
a good time.
Speaker 1 (08:09):
We don't know.
Speaker 4 (08:09):
If you had a couple of too many, I'm not
really sure. But at the end of the day, that
was That was fine. And as far as the whole
situation being uncomfortable, it's not for me, and I don't
think it should be. I think the media loves the
fact that they could make it that way. Yeah, they
could create a narrative, which there isn't.
Speaker 3 (08:26):
Yeah, well he seems to be. There seems to be
a narrative.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
And it's all rooted in the fact that you said
I'm the first true African champion, or at.
Speaker 3 (08:35):
Least in what you were saying was that you're the guy.
Speaker 2 (08:38):
That stayed there, you live there, you train there. But
Usman and those guys you I saw an article where
you did say you guys were very proud that they
were African champions. But you are saying what you're saying
rooted in the fact that you stayed in Africa wild training.
Speaker 4 (08:56):
Yes, absolutely so, I mean there was a first Africa
born champion. It was, and then there was three African
born champions, but there was also a first African residing champion,
and that.
Speaker 1 (09:07):
Was and that is that is, that is the fact.
Speaker 2 (09:09):
I thought you would have walked that back, I swear
to guy, when it all, when it all turned crazy,
I thought you to walk that back.
Speaker 3 (09:15):
I thought you to say I don't know if I
like this, but you've kind of steered into it.
Speaker 4 (09:19):
Because I mean, as soon as as that happened, anybody
with a sensible mind could see what was being said
other than clickbait, other than trying to make something out
of nothing, and you know, other than saying something that oh, I.
Speaker 1 (09:37):
Mean, I remember when Usman commented on this statement commented.
Speaker 4 (09:42):
Usman was actually the first guy to because this happened
weeks after I've said this, and Usman he was the
first to be asked about it, and he commented on it.
And when he commented on this oppressor, I could hear
that he's never seen the video he was and he
said yeah, and he said this, I'm more African, he said,
(10:03):
I've never said more African. And you're less of an African,
or you are not African never said those good I could, Yeah,
that's what he that was what he took from it,
so I could hear that he was told by someone
this is what Daki said.
Speaker 1 (10:17):
He never went to go watch the video.
Speaker 4 (10:19):
I don't know if you have watched it ever since,
because with that context of watching the video.
Speaker 1 (10:23):
You do understand what I was trying to say, yeah, and
what I did say.
Speaker 4 (10:27):
And so I think, you know, with that narrative and
with I think right now he's using that narrative to
fuel him. I think that's that's that's what's fueling him.
Speaker 2 (10:44):
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Speaker 2 (12:19):
I've seen that quite a few things that you've talked about,
the fire in Adisonia not being as bright as it
once was or not burning as hot as it once was.
Is it just in the Strickland fight that you see
that that you see that he's not the same guy,
or is there something before or something you see from
Izzy It makes you feel as strongly about his mindset
(12:42):
as he's on the verge.
Speaker 1 (12:43):
He's trying to become a three time USC champion.
Speaker 3 (12:46):
Not many people have done that in the USC history.
Speaker 4 (12:48):
Yeah, listen Israel in terms of his record, legacy and
what he's done in the sporties, it's undeniable. He's one
of not only the greatest middleweights, but one of the
greatest UFC foughtest Hippa's honor. He's in that goat cheer
and there's never any nothing that's going to be taken
away from that. It was not the stricktlent fighter. I
(13:10):
thought it was. I thought it was a stricken Fighter.
Then I fought Strickland, and then I realized it wasn't.
It wasn't an off night. It was Strickland enforcing that
bully game plan.
Speaker 1 (13:20):
Yes, yes, that was what it was.
Speaker 4 (13:22):
When I fought Strickland and I realized how hard for
a easy being a sniper. That is, he couldn't land
those sniping shots, and it's frustrating fighting strictent, especially when
he's coming forward. And then I realized he didn't have
an off night. Maybe it was just strictly. He did
his job perfectly. And I said in a couple of
(13:44):
New Years to Day that I'll be willing to take
back the fact that I.
Speaker 1 (13:46):
Said he lost his fire. I just think in comparison
to mine.
Speaker 3 (13:50):
Yes, okay, okay, okay.
Speaker 2 (13:53):
So earlier he spoke about you being a bully against
Sean Strickland with Israel out of Soignia. If you are
too much of a bully, it would seem to open
up opportunities for him because he's such a sniper, because
he's so good at countering. How do you approach that
fight though, because it seems as though it's a complete
flip as to what you have to do last fight,
(14:13):
But that flip doesn't seem to be your game. Your game,
while people might not say it, says appealing because of
the way you do different things, it's very effective.
Speaker 1 (14:25):
Bonus otherwise of appealing.
Speaker 2 (14:27):
But yeah, you know what I'm saying, Like you do
different things, right, that's wrong word, But like you punch,
or you do different types of takedowns.
Speaker 3 (14:34):
You do different things. And we spoke about this before
the interview.
Speaker 2 (14:37):
Started, like just because it looks different to you doesn't
mean it's not right.
Speaker 4 (14:40):
Yeah, And like you said, I'm fighting two completely different fighters. Yeah,
But I mean before I thought it was the exact
opposite of.
Speaker 3 (14:51):
That's fine, yep ye.
Speaker 4 (14:52):
Then I thought is fights the way he does. Now
I'm fighting out the siding. He's a completely different fighting that.
You know, He's totally he likes to be on the outside.
Speaker 1 (15:01):
But the pressure is not on me to come and perform.
Speaker 4 (15:05):
The pressure is on him to say, what are you
going to do different than in.
Speaker 1 (15:10):
Your last fight?
Speaker 4 (15:11):
If we go on last fights only, what are you
going to do so with with this er saying one
d per being that bully fighter, that's not my game necessarily.
Speaker 1 (15:19):
Mind.
Speaker 4 (15:19):
The game is to fight the guy in front of
me and neutralizing his game. And if I'm going to
stand yeah talking about being a bully human, I'm not
going to stand in range and pick shots with you
under saying it's obviously that's not the plan, that's not
what would be the smartest way to fight this guy,
because firstly has a longer reach than me, leg reach
(15:41):
and on reach, and that's his game, you know, pointing
at our five rounds, I need you. I'm gonna If
he's that's the way decides to fight, I need to
apply my plan to counter that. If he wants to
almost let's say, reinvent himself, come in and say to
all other sun yas back, I'm coming in uns blazing.
(16:01):
Then we're fighting into my terrory, and that's him trying
to prove something to himself and to the world, I think,
and that blays into my game, which is great. If
you know he tries to shoot on me, we don't know.
We saw that with Alex Perjea. He took them down,
so that Alex.
Speaker 2 (16:16):
To him, Yeah, but you've also wrestled in yeah.
Speaker 4 (16:20):
And I mean also now you know he's he's said guardlo,
maybe I take my next opponent down and sub met him.
Speaker 1 (16:27):
So you know, there's there's a whole world, and it's
the unknown.
Speaker 4 (16:30):
That's what makes any fight so far so scary. Almost
if you if you go there. You don't know what
this guy's going to do. It takes around us so
to figure this out. And so regardless of his game,
then I am going to new because everybody has a plan.
But you know, once the fight starts, it changes like
that because unfortunately, you have to react to what your
(16:51):
opponent's bringing.
Speaker 2 (16:52):
Do you think that with all this anger that he
has built up and the emotions tied to the fight,
then he will be more aggressive because the last time
we saw him that aggressive, are that angry? Was against
Paula Costa? And do you take a little bit of
joy out of it? Because I saw an interview today
what you said. He says, I'm spoiled, but this man
had people bathe him until you're lying.
Speaker 3 (17:12):
That's a lie, Drac is.
Speaker 2 (17:14):
He he had somebody bathe him till he was eight
years old?
Speaker 3 (17:17):
What you said?
Speaker 1 (17:17):
I saw that.
Speaker 4 (17:18):
I saw an audio, and well, since everybody believes everything
they read on the.
Speaker 2 (17:21):
Internet, well that would be a big flip because I
didn't know Israel had people bathe him till he was
eight years old.
Speaker 4 (17:28):
I saw the article. I'll show you the article. So
you do what this is where.
Speaker 2 (17:33):
You're like Ben asking Ben after you just followed everything
on Twitter, and if it's on Twitter, it's true for him,
I don't know that.
Speaker 3 (17:39):
I'm gonna have to ask him if it's true.
Speaker 2 (17:41):
But do you take joy that though, knowing that you
kind of turned them up to a different place where
you're like, Okay, I am because you don't seem to
be like emotional at all about it.
Speaker 4 (17:51):
I'm not imagining. I don't know about this. This is
this is another fight. If you had to pull out
of this fight, it would be the exact same to
me fighting anybody else. If you had to pull out today,
I would be the exact same person getting in there.
Speaker 1 (18:05):
Than the one you're going to see on Sunday.
Speaker 4 (18:07):
And for me, that is that is what this is about,
is staying keeping emotion out of this, keep him I
don't get emotional. I get I am. I get emotional
about one thing, and that's the accomplishment. I don't get
emotion about whatever he says, does it doesn't, It doesn't
matter to me. I have a goal, I have a
(18:28):
fighter winner, I have a title to defend, and that
is what it's about for me. So yeah, getting me
into acting emotional is probably.
Speaker 1 (18:35):
A good win for me, Like you know strictly did
the same thing. But you know, he's a He's a.
Speaker 4 (18:41):
Champion for a reason and was a champion for so
long for a very good reason. I would I would
say he probably has the right people around him to
keep his mentality where he needs to be and then
almost keep him at bay.
Speaker 2 (18:52):
So many people are interested though, because you guys are
great fighters, but also the backdrop, the backdrop does drop people.
And I'll be honest with you, like, I don't know if,
as you said, all this other stuff, the race, there's
like a lot of race.
Speaker 3 (19:07):
They're trying to bring race into it.
Speaker 2 (19:09):
I've got family and they're like, man, I don't like
this drinkings dupe pltus see because we're black. And it's
like because they're buying into the narrative that has been
put out in front of them.
Speaker 3 (19:17):
They don't know you. I know you.
Speaker 2 (19:18):
You're You're a great guy, nice guy, and you actually
stay with me even though I've been very hard on you.
Speaker 3 (19:23):
I'm done now, though, I'll tell you one thing. I'm done.
I am fucking done questioning you. Bro.
Speaker 4 (19:29):
Listen to a lot of things you said, and I've
actually taken some of it to heart. And actually started
rigging on some of those things, and I'm glad I.
Speaker 3 (19:35):
Could well you flipped me. You flipped me because I
was like, he's good man, I was telling him.
Speaker 2 (19:40):
I was like, he's really good. I was like, he's
really good. I mean, champion of the world. So it's
been awesome. Last thing before I let you go, what's
this fight? What does this fight look like on Saturday
or Sunday morning? And uh, do you anticipate having like
the crowd in your corner?
Speaker 3 (19:54):
Last time? Is they fought here in Australia.
Speaker 2 (19:57):
They cheered Sean Strickland and instead of easy do you
think I know, South Africa is not very far from here.
Speaker 3 (20:03):
Do you think that you have the crowd in your corner?
What do you think the fight looks like?
Speaker 1 (20:07):
Yeah, it's going to be interesting. I think.
Speaker 4 (20:09):
You know, I've gone so used to being food walking
out and being cheered by the end of the fight
that you know, maybe that's the case again.
Speaker 1 (20:16):
It's but you know, as long as there's noise, that's
that's what I need. And there's a lot of South
Africans coming to this fight.
Speaker 4 (20:22):
There's a lot of South Africans in Perth and in Australia.
So it's going to be interesting to see. I mean,
I don't know if I'll be a crowd favorite. I'm
not willing to say that, but I mean it's it's
it's going to be great.
Speaker 1 (20:33):
I mean it's going to be an amazing event.
Speaker 4 (20:35):
I know it can feel the atmosphere in the town
in Perth, you know, walking around with people know who
I am. In Perth, people love fighting, they know about
the event. The events sold out like that. People are
looking for tickets everywhere. It's going to be a special
event and this is one of the biggest fights.
Speaker 3 (20:52):
How do you be easy? How does a fight it?
Speaker 1 (20:56):
I finished easy in the third round. Okay, that's what
I'm saying.
Speaker 4 (21:00):
And I know you said he's coming out for that
first round finish. So I mean, if if that's the case,
I think we are playing right into my into my fielding.
Speaker 1 (21:08):
I'll be ready for my man.
Speaker 3 (21:10):
Thank you for checking in with me again, guys.
Speaker 2 (21:13):
Dracers duplus c takes on Israel to sign you this
weekend at UFC three h five for the middle A
championship in the world.
Speaker 3 (21:19):
Follow him on everything that he does.
Speaker 2 (21:21):
Hey, Dracus dupleus C or drinkers, drinkers DUPLESSI that's what.
Speaker 3 (21:27):
Fucking Chill was saying. But Chill never says names right,
He confused me.
Speaker 4 (21:32):
He did say dupless us and even he got the
names like, yeah, drinkers du plesss.
Speaker 3 (21:37):
He never says he never says names right. So I
was when he said drinkers, I started saying dracas. I
was like, he has it has to be he has
to be saying.
Speaker 2 (21:45):
It wrong because he always says dracus duplus c fight
this weekend.
Speaker 3 (21:51):
Guys, make sure you're tapping everything he does. You have
a YouTube channel?
Speaker 2 (21:53):
Uh no, no YouTube, but get him on Instagram x
not even Facebook. He's a young guy, so I'm appreciated
you have Facebook, all right?
Speaker 3 (22:01):
Follow him on facebok.
Speaker 2 (22:03):
Last generation to get Facebook. Okay, so he was the
last generation of Facebook. Get draking drinking my space.
Speaker 3 (22:10):
Drinking's got my space? Got you got it all, guys
until next time. Like even tell you friends about my
YouTube channel.
Speaker 2 (22:16):
And I got guys like drinkers dupless checking in with
me until next time.
Speaker 3 (22:20):
Peace,
The volume.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
So your boys Hot Boy summer is coming to an end.
I've been traveling all around the world. But no matter
the stress or the situation, why you had the boy
elevated through it all. I just had to let y'all
know too, because the gummies are game changers. I sleep better,
I can relax well, even my back pain because after
all the fighting, all the surgeries the boy be hurting.
(00:29):
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tell them that I sent you. Prioritize your recovery and
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boyd DC living life floating, Guys, I'm here with the
middleweight champion Dracers du plus see the middleweight champion, Like,
(01:25):
I mean, that is a that is that is that
has to be music to your ears because so many
didn't think that you could do that when everything you
put on paper showed that you were just about to
do that, but for some reason, people were so late
to jump on board. Uh how good does it feel
to get to where you knew you would get but
(01:47):
so many questions whether or not you could.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
Yeah, I mean, it's it's actually amazing.
Speaker 4 (01:51):
I mean I've dedicated my whole life to this sport
like so many others. I mean, anybody I believe that's
in the UFCS dedicated their life to this sport and
to be at depending on it and being a champion
is I mean, it's it's you know, it's amazing for
myself and and you know, for South Africa to fight
as a proud spwarding nation we love to God and
(02:13):
being the first South African wearing that flag and being
able to do my country, problem my people, my my team,
my friends and family that's been there through all these
years and believing in my dream.
Speaker 1 (02:25):
It's the most amazing feeling. And you know, I'm very
very happy.
Speaker 2 (02:30):
So many people may have questioned Dracus. Even though the
work showed you were getting here, those people in your
corner never ever doubted whether or not you would ultimately
get to where you're going. Okay, so we go back
to Canada, right, You're fighting Sean Strickland, and it is
Sean Strickland, so there's a lot that comes with it,
but you were able to stay in the moment. You
(02:51):
were able to stay within yourself under some pretty unique circumstances,
right from all the things that he says to the
way that he fights. But in that fight, you showed
once again why you're the best in the world because
it was your pace, it was your pressure, and in
those moments where and this is what I said in
the fight, and I'm not walking it back when you
(03:12):
were putting five six, seven, eight nine, Sean wasn't really
matching that effort in intensity. Did you know that would
be what separated you from him to become the champion,
Because in Sean Strickland fashion, I won the fight. I
thought I won, but it didn't seem that off to
me because it seemed like you were a guy putting
(03:33):
in the effort.
Speaker 1 (03:33):
Yeah, I mean I went the way I looked at it.
Speaker 4 (03:35):
And obviously after that first John, he was landing the
jab and he was doing you know what he does
past And the mistake I made at first Jehan was
I took the jab and the jab is spot on.
He throws that jab very the way he throws it,
it lands. But it wasn't a job that I went
that rocks me. I just I just thought, you can
hit me all night with this jab. I'm looking through.
Speaker 1 (03:57):
It and I'm gonna land my show. Yeah, because I
wasn't concerned about it. I just knew the jat So.
Speaker 4 (04:05):
By the third minute of this first round, I started
seeing my own eye.
Speaker 1 (04:09):
Just a little bit swollen.
Speaker 4 (04:10):
Yeah, And I realized this is small gloves. Even though
the girl's not hurting me, it's your face is going
to be hurt anyways. So I had to make that adjudgment.
I can't just walk through this chat. But the constant
pressure because one thing when we studied the shaw and fight,
his gas tank is that of somebody that can fire
(04:30):
when he's walking forward, when he's dictating pace, when he's
he's got you bathing to the faint when he baits
you and you're fainting for every shot because it's just touching, touching,
and I knew when you're going backwards and he's a
volume striker.
Speaker 1 (04:45):
He's not a hard bunch. He's a volume striker.
Speaker 4 (04:46):
So for a volume striker to go backwards and strike
a volume.
Speaker 1 (04:50):
It's not going to be.
Speaker 4 (04:51):
It's basically impossible, you know, walking backwards and just throwing volume,
it's not going to work. So that was the plan
with the guy like Stricken, because he's a bully into
when he fights, you know, is you almost and you
see in his fights he always talks to his opponent
once he starts getting off, once he starts catching them
walking forward, he sees them kind of being tied and
you know, trying to catch a break.
Speaker 1 (05:12):
That's when he starts talking to them.
Speaker 4 (05:13):
He didn't say one single word to me while we
were fighting, because you're able to because I was. I
was the brilliant that fight, and I think that was
what won with that fight. And if you can look
at the stats, it was twenty three minutes of me
going forward in that fight, yeah, and two.
Speaker 1 (05:29):
Minutes of him.
Speaker 4 (05:29):
So a fight that closely gon tested on the feet.
Even though I had more kicks, he had more jabs,
He had more higher strikes that it landed.
Speaker 1 (05:40):
But if you go on damage, I wasn't cut. My
face looked pretty bad.
Speaker 4 (05:44):
But and just in terms of kicks, in terms of
mixing it up and being scored as in MMA fight,
the takedowns were not something that I didn't want to
fight this fight on the ground.
Speaker 1 (05:57):
It wasn't that it was to make sure I'm winning
that round.
Speaker 2 (06:01):
So you become the champion, and everybody that has a
pulse starts to look forward to what we are at
right now. You and Adissanya right, because when you beat
Robert Whitaker, you guys had a very very uncomfortable interaction
inside the octagon. There have been some uncomfortable rivalries in
the UFC right where at times you look away like,
(06:24):
I don't know if I feel comfortable with this. Right,
it was Habib and Connor at times got very bad.
Jones and myself at times got very bad. But then
when we watch this one, it got a bit uncomfortable
because of the it what it's rooted in is something
much bigger, or at least it seems that it's much
bigger than the sport. Was that uncomfortable to you to
(06:47):
be in there with Izzy having that interaction and then
knowing after you became the champ, I'm probably gonna get
to fight this dude and put an into all all
of this.
Speaker 1 (06:56):
At least, I.
Speaker 4 (06:57):
Don't think it was uncomfortable for me when he got
into the octagon with the Robert Whittaker fight. I saw
that as a big win because he made himself uncomfortable
with was me standing there watching that video afterwards?
Speaker 1 (07:12):
I just went his team is definitely telling him, what
are you doing? You shouldn't be doing that.
Speaker 4 (07:16):
It was it was It was an emotional reaction from
his side.
Speaker 1 (07:22):
So why why do you think?
Speaker 3 (07:24):
Why do you think though?
Speaker 2 (07:24):
Do you think at that moment you became real because
you beat Robert Whitaker, you became like a real threat.
Speaker 3 (07:31):
Do you think that's why he reacted in that way?
Speaker 4 (07:34):
Absolutely, you have to think that that that is the case,
because every fight it was Robert Whitteker. Well, you're fighting easy,
you lose to Easy, you fight Whitaker. This way was
the other one. This time was the other way around.
So Whittaker was his gatekeeper. Yeah, because fighting Robert Whitaker again,
he knows he beats Whitaker. Now he's got to deal
(07:56):
with me. Who did beat Robert woldikin in very so
exacular fashion. So I think that definitely played a role.
And yeah, and you don't know in what mind state
he was. You know, we all would like to have
a good time.
Speaker 1 (08:09):
We don't know.
Speaker 4 (08:09):
If you had a couple of too many, I'm not
really sure. But at the end of the day, that
was That was fine. And as far as the whole
situation being uncomfortable, it's not for me, and I don't
think it should be. I think the media loves the
fact that they could make it that way. Yeah, they
could create a narrative, which there isn't.
Speaker 3 (08:26):
Yeah, well he seems to be. There seems to be
a narrative.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
And it's all rooted in the fact that you said
I'm the first true African champion, or at.
Speaker 3 (08:35):
Least in what you were saying was that you're the guy.
Speaker 2 (08:38):
That stayed there, you live there, you train there. But
Usman and those guys you I saw an article where
you did say you guys were very proud that they
were African champions. But you are saying what you're saying
rooted in the fact that you stayed in Africa wild training.
Speaker 4 (08:56):
Yes, absolutely so, I mean there was a first Africa
born champion. It was, and then there was three African
born champions, but there was also a first African residing champion,
and that.
Speaker 1 (09:07):
Was and that is that is, that is the fact.
Speaker 2 (09:09):
I thought you would have walked that back, I swear
to guy, when it all, when it all turned crazy,
I thought you to walk that back.
Speaker 3 (09:15):
I thought you to say I don't know if I
like this, but you've kind of steered into it.
Speaker 4 (09:19):
Because I mean, as soon as as that happened, anybody
with a sensible mind could see what was being said
other than clickbait, other than trying to make something out
of nothing, and you know, other than saying something that oh, I.
Speaker 1 (09:37):
Mean, I remember when Usman commented on this statement commented.
Speaker 4 (09:42):
Usman was actually the first guy to because this happened
weeks after I've said this, and Usman he was the
first to be asked about it, and he commented on it.
And when he commented on this oppressor, I could hear
that he's never seen the video he was and he
said yeah, and he said this, I'm more African, he said,
(10:03):
I've never said more African. And you're less of an African,
or you are not African never said those good I could, Yeah,
that's what he that was what he took from it,
so I could hear that he was told by someone
this is what Daki said.
Speaker 1 (10:17):
He never went to go watch the video.
Speaker 4 (10:19):
I don't know if you have watched it ever since,
because with that context of watching the video.
Speaker 1 (10:23):
You do understand what I was trying to say, yeah, and
what I did say.
Speaker 4 (10:27):
And so I think, you know, with that narrative and
with I think right now he's using that narrative to
fuel him. I think that's that's that's what's fueling him.
Speaker 2 (10:44):
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(11:07):
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Speaker 2 (12:19):
I've seen that quite a few things that you've talked about,
the fire in Adisonia not being as bright as it
once was or not burning as hot as it once was.
Is it just in the Strickland fight that you see
that that you see that he's not the same guy,
or is there something before or something you see from
Izzy It makes you feel as strongly about his mindset
(12:42):
as he's on the verge.
Speaker 1 (12:43):
He's trying to become a three time USC champion.
Speaker 3 (12:46):
Not many people have done that in the USC history.
Speaker 4 (12:48):
Yeah, listen Israel in terms of his record, legacy and
what he's done in the sporties, it's undeniable. He's one
of not only the greatest middleweights, but one of the
greatest UFC foughtest Hippa's honor. He's in that goat cheer
and there's never any nothing that's going to be taken
away from that. It was not the stricktlent fighter. I
(13:10):
thought it was. I thought it was a stricken Fighter.
Then I fought Strickland, and then I realized it wasn't.
It wasn't an off night. It was Strickland enforcing that
bully game plan.
Speaker 1 (13:20):
Yes, yes, that was what it was.
Speaker 4 (13:22):
When I fought Strickland and I realized how hard for
a easy being a sniper. That is, he couldn't land
those sniping shots, and it's frustrating fighting strictent, especially when
he's coming forward. And then I realized he didn't have
an off night. Maybe it was just strictly. He did
his job perfectly. And I said in a couple of
(13:44):
New Years to Day that I'll be willing to take
back the fact that I.
Speaker 1 (13:46):
Said he lost his fire. I just think in comparison
to mine.
Speaker 3 (13:50):
Yes, okay, okay, okay.
Speaker 2 (13:53):
So earlier he spoke about you being a bully against
Sean Strickland with Israel out of Soignia. If you are
too much of a bully, it would seem to open
up opportunities for him because he's such a sniper, because
he's so good at countering. How do you approach that
fight though, because it seems as though it's a complete
flip as to what you have to do last fight,
(14:13):
But that flip doesn't seem to be your game. Your game,
while people might not say it, says appealing because of
the way you do different things, it's very effective.
Speaker 1 (14:25):
Bonus otherwise of appealing.
Speaker 2 (14:27):
But yeah, you know what I'm saying, Like you do
different things, right, that's wrong word, But like you punch,
or you do different types of takedowns.
Speaker 3 (14:34):
You do different things. And we spoke about this before
the interview.
Speaker 2 (14:37):
Started, like just because it looks different to you doesn't
mean it's not right.
Speaker 4 (14:40):
Yeah, And like you said, I'm fighting two completely different fighters. Yeah,
But I mean before I thought it was the exact
opposite of.
Speaker 3 (14:51):
That's fine, yep ye.
Speaker 4 (14:52):
Then I thought is fights the way he does. Now
I'm fighting out the siding. He's a completely different fighting that.
You know, He's totally he likes to be on the outside.
Speaker 1 (15:01):
But the pressure is not on me to come and perform.
Speaker 4 (15:05):
The pressure is on him to say, what are you
going to do different than in.
Speaker 1 (15:10):
Your last fight?
Speaker 4 (15:11):
If we go on last fights only, what are you
going to do so with with this er saying one
d per being that bully fighter, that's not my game necessarily.
Speaker 1 (15:19):
Mind.
Speaker 4 (15:19):
The game is to fight the guy in front of
me and neutralizing his game. And if I'm going to
stand yeah talking about being a bully human, I'm not
going to stand in range and pick shots with you
under saying it's obviously that's not the plan, that's not
what would be the smartest way to fight this guy,
because firstly has a longer reach than me, leg reach
(15:41):
and on reach, and that's his game, you know, pointing
at our five rounds, I need you. I'm gonna If
he's that's the way decides to fight, I need to
apply my plan to counter that. If he wants to
almost let's say, reinvent himself, come in and say to
all other sun yas back, I'm coming in uns blazing.
(16:01):
Then we're fighting into my terrory, and that's him trying
to prove something to himself and to the world, I think,
and that blays into my game, which is great. If
you know he tries to shoot on me, we don't know.
We saw that with Alex Perjea. He took them down,
so that Alex.
Speaker 2 (16:16):
To him, Yeah, but you've also wrestled in yeah.
Speaker 4 (16:20):
And I mean also now you know he's he's said guardlo,
maybe I take my next opponent down and sub met him.
Speaker 1 (16:27):
So you know, there's there's a whole world, and it's
the unknown.
Speaker 4 (16:30):
That's what makes any fight so far so scary. Almost
if you if you go there. You don't know what
this guy's going to do. It takes around us so
to figure this out. And so regardless of his game,
then I am going to new because everybody has a plan.
But you know, once the fight starts, it changes like
that because unfortunately, you have to react to what your
(16:51):
opponent's bringing.
Speaker 2 (16:52):
Do you think that with all this anger that he
has built up and the emotions tied to the fight,
then he will be more aggressive because the last time
we saw him that aggressive, are that angry? Was against
Paula Costa? And do you take a little bit of
joy out of it? Because I saw an interview today
what you said. He says, I'm spoiled, but this man
had people bathe him until you're lying.
Speaker 3 (17:12):
That's a lie, Drac is.
Speaker 2 (17:14):
He he had somebody bathe him till he was eight
years old?
Speaker 3 (17:17):
What you said?
Speaker 1 (17:17):
I saw that.
Speaker 4 (17:18):
I saw an audio, and well, since everybody believes everything
they read on the.
Speaker 2 (17:21):
Internet, well that would be a big flip because I
didn't know Israel had people bathe him till he was
eight years old.
Speaker 4 (17:28):
I saw the article. I'll show you the article. So
you do what this is where.
Speaker 2 (17:33):
You're like Ben asking Ben after you just followed everything
on Twitter, and if it's on Twitter, it's true for him,
I don't know that.
Speaker 3 (17:39):
I'm gonna have to ask him if it's true.
Speaker 2 (17:41):
But do you take joy that though, knowing that you
kind of turned them up to a different place where
you're like, Okay, I am because you don't seem to
be like emotional at all about it.
Speaker 4 (17:51):
I'm not imagining. I don't know about this. This is
this is another fight. If you had to pull out
of this fight, it would be the exact same to
me fighting anybody else. If you had to pull out today,
I would be the exact same person getting in there.
Speaker 1 (18:05):
Than the one you're going to see on Sunday.
Speaker 4 (18:07):
And for me, that is that is what this is about,
is staying keeping emotion out of this, keep him I
don't get emotional. I get I am. I get emotional
about one thing, and that's the accomplishment. I don't get
emotion about whatever he says, does it doesn't, It doesn't
matter to me. I have a goal, I have a
(18:28):
fighter winner, I have a title to defend, and that
is what it's about for me. So yeah, getting me
into acting emotional is probably.
Speaker 1 (18:35):
A good win for me, Like you know strictly did
the same thing. But you know, he's a He's a.
Speaker 4 (18:41):
Champion for a reason and was a champion for so
long for a very good reason. I would I would
say he probably has the right people around him to
keep his mentality where he needs to be and then
almost keep him at bay.
Speaker 2 (18:52):
So many people are interested though, because you guys are
great fighters, but also the backdrop, the backdrop does drop people.
And I'll be honest with you, like, I don't know if,
as you said, all this other stuff, the race, there's
like a lot of race.
Speaker 3 (19:07):
They're trying to bring race into it.
Speaker 2 (19:09):
I've got family and they're like, man, I don't like
this drinkings dupe pltus see because we're black. And it's
like because they're buying into the narrative that has been
put out in front of them.
Speaker 3 (19:17):
They don't know you. I know you.
Speaker 2 (19:18):
You're You're a great guy, nice guy, and you actually
stay with me even though I've been very hard on you.
Speaker 3 (19:23):
I'm done now, though, I'll tell you one thing. I'm done.
I am fucking done questioning you. Bro.
Speaker 4 (19:29):
Listen to a lot of things you said, and I've
actually taken some of it to heart. And actually started
rigging on some of those things, and I'm glad I.
Speaker 3 (19:35):
Could well you flipped me. You flipped me because I
was like, he's good man, I was telling him.
Speaker 2 (19:40):
I was like, he's really good. I was like, he's
really good. I mean, champion of the world. So it's
been awesome. Last thing before I let you go, what's
this fight? What does this fight look like on Saturday
or Sunday morning? And uh, do you anticipate having like
the crowd in your corner?
Speaker 3 (19:54):
Last time? Is they fought here in Australia.
Speaker 2 (19:57):
They cheered Sean Strickland and instead of easy do you
think I know, South Africa is not very far from here.
Speaker 3 (20:03):
Do you think that you have the crowd in your corner?
What do you think the fight looks like?
Speaker 1 (20:07):
Yeah, it's going to be interesting. I think.
Speaker 4 (20:09):
You know, I've gone so used to being food walking
out and being cheered by the end of the fight
that you know, maybe that's the case again.
Speaker 1 (20:16):
It's but you know, as long as there's noise, that's
that's what I need. And there's a lot of South
Africans coming to this fight.
Speaker 4 (20:22):
There's a lot of South Africans in Perth and in Australia.
So it's going to be interesting to see. I mean,
I don't know if I'll be a crowd favorite. I'm
not willing to say that, but I mean it's it's
it's going to be great.
Speaker 1 (20:33):
I mean it's going to be an amazing event.
Speaker 4 (20:35):
I know it can feel the atmosphere in the town
in Perth, you know, walking around with people know who
I am. In Perth, people love fighting, they know about
the event. The events sold out like that. People are
looking for tickets everywhere. It's going to be a special
event and this is one of the biggest fights.
Speaker 3 (20:52):
How do you be easy? How does a fight it?
Speaker 1 (20:56):
I finished easy in the third round. Okay, that's what
I'm saying.
Speaker 4 (21:00):
And I know you said he's coming out for that
first round finish. So I mean, if if that's the case,
I think we are playing right into my into my fielding.
Speaker 1 (21:08):
I'll be ready for my man.
Speaker 3 (21:10):
Thank you for checking in with me again, guys.
Speaker 2 (21:13):
Dracers duplus c takes on Israel to sign you this
weekend at UFC three h five for the middle A
championship in the world.
Speaker 3 (21:19):
Follow him on everything that he does.
Speaker 2 (21:21):
Hey, Dracus dupleus C or drinkers, drinkers DUPLESSI that's what.
Speaker 3 (21:27):
Fucking Chill was saying. But Chill never says names right,
He confused me.
Speaker 4 (21:32):
He did say dupless us and even he got the
names like, yeah, drinkers du plesss.
Speaker 3 (21:37):
He never says he never says names right. So I
was when he said drinkers, I started saying dracas. I
was like, he has it has to be he has
to be saying.
Speaker 2 (21:45):
It wrong because he always says dracus duplus c fight
this weekend.
Speaker 3 (21:51):
Guys, make sure you're tapping everything he does. You have
a YouTube channel?
Speaker 2 (21:53):
Uh no, no YouTube, but get him on Instagram x
not even Facebook. He's a young guy, so I'm appreciated
you have Facebook, all right?
Speaker 3 (22:01):
Follow him on facebok.
Speaker 2 (22:03):
Last generation to get Facebook. Okay, so he was the
last generation of Facebook. Get draking drinking my space.
Speaker 3 (22:10):
Drinking's got my space? Got you got it all, guys
until next time. Like even tell you friends about my
YouTube channel.
Speaker 2 (22:16):
And I got guys like drinkers dupless checking in with
me until next time.
Speaker 3 (22:20):
Peace,
Hosts And Creators
Colin Cowherd
Jason McIntyre
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