Dricus Du Plessis and Israel Adesanya engaged in a lengthy faceoff after the UFC 305 on-sale press conference.
Middleweight champion Du Plessis (21-2 MMA, 7-0 UFC) meets Adesanya (24-3 MMA, 13-3 UFC) in the UFC 305 main event Aug. 17 at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+).
Du Plessis and Adesanya went back-and-forth about the origin of their rivalry during Tuesday’s event “Down Under.” After they wrapped up, they faced off – and their intense staredown lingered.
Some words were exchanged, and afterward, Du Plessis shared what was said.
“I think he said, ‘Don’t kiss me,'” Du Plessis told Submission Radio. “As far as I know. He said, ‘Don’t go kissing me now.’ I said, ‘I’m no dog, so I won’t.’ I don’t know what he was saying. I wasn’t really focused on what he was saying. I didn’t say anything. You know, I’m not here to to say anything to him. The date is set. There’s no need to be saying anything.”
Adesanya, 34, who hasn’t competed since losing the 185-pound belt to Sean Strickland at UFC 293 this past September, has reiterated that this fight is not about reclaiming the title. However, Du Plessis thinks “The Last Stylebender” has some mental vulnerability going into their grudge match.
“In terms of the demeanor, this whole demeanor around this whole fight, I can feel this man is trying to convince himself that he still wants to be here,” Du Plessis said. “In saying that, he has done so much in the sport and he says it’s not about titles anymore. He will never get what he had again. There’s not enough time. You know, the winning streak. He has done what he was going to do in the sport in terms of legacy.
“So no, right now he’s talking about so much outside of the sport instead of talking about what’s going on in the sport that – I don’t know. In my opinion, I think this is him trying to show or convince himself that he still wants to do this, that he still has what it takes. But I’m here just to show him that he’s not. It’s fine. Take your time and, you know, enjoy your golf. I’m the new champion, and I’m the new king of this division, and I’m going to make sure he knows that.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 305.
