Verdict MMA’s OverUnder: Israel Adesanya really wants to fight Dricus Du Plessis
Check out the latest edition of OverUnder, from the team at Verdict MMA, the mixed martial arts platform for fan engagement.
Nate Diaz has been charged with second-degree battery
Nate Diaz is no stranger to getting into brawls. We’ve seen it for years, from the “Strikeforce: Nashville” brawl in 2010 to the EliteXC melee in 2008 and so on. Throughout it all, one thing has been constant: Diaz has never faced any legal troubles for these incidents and has never been arrested. In fact, Diaz once tweeted that UFC fighters need to stop getting arrested and acting like “irresponsible animals.” Diaz’s undefeated streak against the law came to an end last week when he was charged with second-degree battery after getting into a fight with YouTube personality Rodney Petersen on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Peterson is a well-known Logan Paul impersonator and looks very similar to him. He’s 1-0 as a pro boxer and is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu blue belt. He walked up to Diaz on Bourbon Street and was unconscious a few seconds later after Diaz put him to sleep with a guillotine choke. Peterson later posted on social media that he would knock Diaz out if he saw him again. Diaz’s legal team is claiming that “Nate was acting in self-defense as Peterson is a trained fighter that aggressively approached him.”
On Thursday, Ariel Helwani reported that Diaz voluntarily turned himself in to the New Orleans Police Department and has been granted a bond that allows him to continue to travel. This case will either be fought inside of a courtroom or settled outside, which could cost Diaz a lot of money.
Israel Adesanya really wants to fight Dricus Du Plessis
Israel Adesanya sat down with his brother David on his YouTube channel Freestylebender this week and discussed a variety of topics. One of the most notable topics was Adesanya’s desire to fight Dricus Du Plessis next. Adesanya has defeated everyone in the top 5 of his division – and some of them twice. “DDP” is ranked No. 6 and is the only fresh opponent for Adesanya. The problem is the UFC booked Du Plessis to fight Robert Whittaker at UFC 290. When you fight Whittaker and your name is not Israel Adesanya, you’re probably going to lose. Whittaker has defeated every fighter he’s fought in the last nine years that’s not named Israel Adesanya.
After defeating Alex Pereira, Israel Adesanya said he wanted to fight fresh opponents. If that is the case, then fighting Whittaker for the third time is something Adesanya certainly won’t be excited about. When news of the fight between Du Plessis and Whittaker broke, Adesanya quoted Du Plessis’ tweet and said, “Please win.” Not only does Adesanya want to fight Du Plessis because he’s a fresh opponent, he wants to fight him because he’s got heat with him.
They’ve traded barbs about their status of being African, which has bothered Adesanya. This is a feud that can get ugly real quick, as they’re already discussing the colonization of Africa from decades ago. Adesanya is a proud African man and has the continent tatted on his chest. Though he strongly dislikes him, no one will be rooting for Du Plessus harder than Israel Adesanya at UFC 290.
Quick Hits
- Deiveson Figueiredo is out of his fight against Manel Kape at UFC 290.
- Floyd Mayweather will fight mafia boss John Gotti’s grandson on June 11.
- Ben Askren broke the Internet with a viral tweet.
- Gervonta Davis vs. Ryan Garcia sold more than 1.2 million pay-per-view buys.
- Brendan Loughnane vs. Jesus Pinedo headlines PFL 4 on June 8.
- Six Power Slap competitors have been suspended in Nevada for steroids and narcotics.
- Conor McGregor‘s comeback documentary is dropping on Netflix.
- Sean Brady vs. Jack Della Maddalena is in the works for UFC 290 in July.
- Walt Harris is set to return against Josh Parisian at a July 15 UFC event.
- The UFC has booked four events at the UFC Apex from May to July.
Verdict is the mixed martial arts platform for fan engagement. Available on iOS and Android. Verdict’s mission is to increase engagement of the MMA viewing experience. Primarily, using innovative data collection methods that are shared with the community. We’re increasing transparency within the MMA community and its thoughts by aggregating crowd-sourced data and sharing it back. By leveraging a user focused design, we’re bringing fight data to the community’s finger tips.