Dricus du Plessis takes aim at Israel Adesanya's controversial relationship with former dog in intense UFC 305 face-off
Dricus du Plessis and Israel Adesanya recently participated in a press conference to launch their impending UFC 305 showdown, set to go down on Aug. 17, 2024, at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia.
The pair engaged in a surprisingly subdued exchange, trading a few barbs over respect and pure competition. The rivalry initially was fueled by du Plessis' previous comments questioning the legitimacy of Adesanya as an African champion.
However, the UFC middleweight champion appeared to have backtracked from the comments, recognizing the Nigerian-born, New Zealand-raised challenger's heritage.
Nevertheless, the pair engaged in an intense prolonged faceoff and delivered parting words that underscored the simmering tension between the fighters.
Du Plessis' parting words echoed Adesanya infamously being slammed by the fans for posting a bizarrely inappropriate video of himself with his late dog.
'Stillknocks' revealed the exchange in an interview with Submission Radio and said:
"I think he said don't kiss. As far as I know, he said, 'Don't go kissing me now.' And I said, 'I’m no dog, so I won’t."
Check out the tweets below:
Adesanya stirred controversy when he posted a video in which he could be seen touching his dog’s genitals and another video of him feeding it directly from his mouth. In the past, Sean Strickland also called out Adesanya for his actions ahead of their clash at UFC 293.
Dricus du Plessis delivers a cutting retort against Israel Adesanya at UFC 305 press conference
Dricus du Plessis and Israel Adesanya crossed paths for the first time since their fiery UFC 290 faceoff following the South African's victory over Robert Whittaker.
'Stillknocks' started the proceedings by claiming that it was a "massive honor" to headline the pay-per-view with a fellow African-born fighter. He also hailed Adesanya as "one of the greatest middleweights ever", and that he didn't plan on defending his title against anybody else.
However, Adesanya reminded his rival about his past comments seemingly discrediting the reign of the 'Three Kings.' He said:
"He tried to discredit the Three Kings and say he's the real, true African champion."
The UFC middleweight champion quickly delivered a cutting retort, stating:
"Never discredited anybody. Stating facts. ... I'm glad you took up golf, because that's a retirement sport."
Check out the exchange below:
This fight will mark du Plessis' first attempt to defend his middleweight throne. The 30-year-old defeated Sean Strickland via split decision at UFC 297 earlier this year to lay hands on the 185-pound gold.