Abdul Razak Alhassan Blasts Du Plessis’ African Comments
Abdul Razak Alhassan has slammed UFC Middleweight Champion Dricus du Plessis.
Alhassan’s last UFC appearance was a submission defeat to Joe Pyfer last October. However, he will return to the sport when he fights at UFC Denver. He will participate in the first fight against Cody Brundage in a middleweight bout. In the run-up to his fight, Alhassan was asked about Du Plessis’ feud with Israel Adesanya.
Du Plessis had been very vocal about how he would be the first fighter to bring the belts back to Africa. This was about Du Plessis mocking Adesanya’s roots. Izzy was born in Nigeria, but he lives in New Zealand. The two faced off in their first presser ahead of their August 17 clash at UFC 305.
Adesanya vs. Du Plessis
“Again, he tried to discredit the Three Kings and say that he’s the real true African champion. And I was just, like, it’s a weird mindset, bro. Like he came in the UFC, I knew who he was a little bit, but I didn’t go, ‘Oh, who the [hell] is this fake dude coming in?’ I just said, ‘Cool, he’s another African in the UFC. But then him discrediting me, Francis Ngannou, and Kamaru Usman, that ticked me off a little bit. So that’s what started this. But again, I’ll finish it,” Adesanya
“I get into the Octagon, and I do my job. I do my business. You can be the biggest…[fool] in the world, you can be the nicest guy in the world, I’m going out there to kill you and I hope you’re doing the same to me because otherwise it’s not going to be a good night for you.
“As far as discrediting, I’ve never discredited anybody. Stating fact, where do I reside? What’s my postal code? Where do I train? Where do I live? [And] where was I born? In South Africa. I’m still there, still training and I won this belt from South Africa. Quite frankly I don’t care how it rubbed him off the wrong way, I don’t care,” Du Plessis
Alhassan Reacts
Given that Alhassan has Ghanaian roots, he had plenty to say. He hit out at Du Plessis by defending Adesanya’s decision to live outside Africa. He referenced the instability in certain countries and the wider opportunities that exist. Had Adesanya not left Nigeria, he may not have gotten the same opportunities. However, the inception of PFL Africa with Francis Ngannou as its Chairman suggests that opportunities will increase in Africa. The first play-off season will occur next year, with Africa’s best talent facing each other.
“I respect the things he’s done in MMA, but he’s a..[fool]. He’s a…[fool] for that word that he used. If he’s a…real African and he lived in Africa, he would have never used that..word. He’s a…[fool] to use that word, because if he was raised with the poor people in Africa [he would know better].
“I’m not trying to call my country a…[dump] but I’m poor. If I can go to America or I can go to a different country to make a better life for myself, I’ll…cut off my leg to…go. If he was a true African, he have understood that. That [he doesn’t understand] means that he was living the comfortable life. His family had money to feed him every day so he didn’t have to worry about leaving to go and make it,” Alhassan said
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