UFC champ Jon Jones shook by Adesanya-Du Plessis racial talk — ‘As a black man, I was uncomfortable’

Reigning 185-pound champion Israel Adesanya and No. 1-ranked middleweight contender Dricus Du Plessis were tasked with hyping up a potential showdown for UFC 293, but may have gone a little too far in the trash talking department once their respective tirades shifted from MMA competition to African lineage.

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MASSIVE MIDDLEWEIGHT MATCH! Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) makes its highly anticipated return to Sydney, Australia, for the first time in five years on Sat., Sept. 9, 2023, with a 185-pound world title fight inside Qudos Bank Arena. In the ESPN+-streamed pay-per-view (PPV) main event, Middleweight roost-ruler, Israel Adesanya, plans to silence No. 5-seeded contender, Sean Strickland. In UFC 293’s hard-hitting Heavyweight co-main event, No-6-ranked fan favorite, Tai Tuivasa, locks horns with towering Russian, Alexander Volkov (No. 8).

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Even current UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones was uncomfortable.

“That sh*t was ... bro ... I mean, I don’t want to talk sh*t because me and Izzy have just become friends or whatever, but I was uncomfortable,” Jones told Overdogs Podcast. “As a black man, I was uncomfortable my damn self. That was just weird.”

Once bitter rivals, Jones and Adesanya settled their beef earlier this year.

The trash talk between Adesanya and Du Plessis was all for naught, as “Stillknocks” eventually passed on the opportunity to fight for the strap. The promotion was forced to pivot and elevated Sean Strickland to UFC 293 headliner a week from Sat. night at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia (more on that fight here).

Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 293 fight card right here, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. ET, then the remaining undercard on ESPNN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 293: “Adesanya vs. Strickalnd” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.