Israel Adesanya reveals mid-fight "agreement" with Dricus du Plessis that fans may've missed, gives props to South African's "strong will"
Combat sports megastar Israel Adesanya has revisited his matchup against Dricus du Plessis and shed light on a supposed mid-fight agreement that fans might not be privy to. 'The Last Stylebender' also lauded du Plessis for his strong resolve.
Former two-time UFC middleweight champion Adesanya faced reigning UFC middleweight champion du Plessis for the latter's title in the headlining match of UFC 305 in Aug. 2024. The back-and-forth fight ended with 'Stillknocks' defeating Adesanya via fourth-round submission.
On episode 164 of UFC commentator Joe Rogan's JRE MMA Show, Adesanya was asked if he felt fatigued in his fight against du Plessis. Rogan thereby alluded to the speculation that Adesanya's exhaustion was the primary reason behind his stoppage defeat.
Adesanya responded by highlighting his and du Plessis' purported mid-fight agreement:
"I don't think so. There was one point in the third round when me and him, we really put it on. And we kind of had this like, low-key agreement like, 'Okay. You're f**ked. I'm f**ked. Let's chill for a little bit.'"
Adesanya recalled coming out firing in round four and even sprawling on a takedown from du Plessis. The Nigeria-born Kiwi claimed his hips hit the back of du Plessis' head, drove it into the mat, and probably rocked him a bit.
Adesanya explained that in response to referee Marc Goddard's instructions to get up, du Plessis, who was on one knee and likely dazed, stood up slowly. He harked back to his attempted attack and how the "stubborn" South African threw back and displayed his willpower. The 35-year-old said:
"And he [du Plessis] finally decided to get up slowly. I tried to attack him. He just threw, but not to try to hit me. He just threw just to stop my momentum, you know, stop me from coming at him. And yeah. He's a guy that; just strong will. Strong will, like, yeah. I can respect that."
Check out Adesanya's comments below:
Furthermore, in response to Rogan implying that du Plessis was physically strong as well, Adesanya noted that 'Stillknocks' wasn't as strong as he'd expected him to be. However, 'The Last Stylebender' opined that it was probably because he himself had put on muscle and increased his strength for the matchup.
Watch the complete episode below (*comments about du Plessis at 19:50):
Israel Adesanya on burying the hatchet with Dricus du Plessis after UFC 304, his fighting future
During their respective post-fight press conference segments, Israel Adesanya and Dricus du Plessis spoke about settling their long-running feud and reiterated their mutual appreciation as fighters. Adesanya clarified that he wasn't going to rush into or lobby for an immediate rematch.
Adesanya also indicated that they acknowledged they could hang out but would once again try to "kill" each other if they clash inside the octagon.
Watch Israel Adesanya's assessment below:
Presently, the consensus is that du Plessis could potentially defend his UFC middleweight championship in a rematch against former champion Sean Strickland next. Meanwhile, Adesanya recently asserted that he'd like to compete one more time in 2024 or perhaps in early 2025.