UFC 290 results, highlights: Dricus du Plessis stops Robert Whittaker, earns path to Israel Adesanya

Dricus du Plessis claimed his right to a UFC middleweight title fight against Israel Adesanya at UFC 293 in September. Du Plessis dispatched former champion Robert Whittaker at Saturday’s UFC 290 card to cement himself as the division’s top contender.

Du Plessis is a powerhouse in the middleweight division and handed Whittaker a rare KO loss in Las Vegas. Du Plessis froze Whittaker in place with a nasty punch in Round 2 and swarmed him for the TKO finish.

“This is truly the biggest honor of my whole fighting career being able to share the cage with a legend,” du Plessis said during his post-fight interview with UFC commentator Joe Rogan. “A guy whose poster I had in my room, wishing to be like someday. Robert, I don’t know where he is but he’s a gentleman,  a humble man and truly a legend of this sport.”

Rogan subsequently welcomed “the great” UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya into the Octagon, which prompted du Plessis to quip, “I don’t know about great.”

Adesanya delivered an explosive and expletive-laced message to his next challenger. The hostilities between the two parties stem from du Plessis’ claims of being “the African fighter” in UFC, a statement based on the fact that du Plessis was born in South Africa and still resides on the continent. Adesanya — a Nigerian-born fighter now living in New Zealand — took umbrage with the statement as invalidating to African-born champions like himself, Francis Ngannou and Kamaru Usman.

It was previously stated that the winner of Whittaker vs. du Plessis would challenge Adesanya at UFC 293 in Sydney on Sept. 10.