Israel Adesanya shares chilling prediction for Dricus du Plessis clash during fighter meeting: “I’m gonna hurt him
Israel Adesanya and Dricus du Plessis are currently the focus of much of the combat sports world as they prepare for the UFC 305 title bout. The pair will headline an exciting card as they clash for the coveted middleweight title.
The build-up to their title fight has been emotional, with Du Plessis' much-publicized comments about wanting to be the "first real African UFC champion" being used by Adesanya as motivation.
'The Last Stylebender' took the South African's comments as an unnecessary slight against himself, Kamaru Usman, and Francis Ngannou, and he will be eager to hand out payback on fight night.
During a recently released episode of his FREESTYLEBENDER fight week vlog, the Nigerian-born Kiwi was captured sharing a confident prediction during his fighter meeting with the UFC's commentary team.
"If [the fight goes 25 minutes] cool, 'cause he's tough. I'm ready for 25 minutes, but what we're working on I don't see him getting passed it. Even if he tries to take me down, he's gonna hurt himself. If he tries to come in and rush me, I'm gonna hurt him. So yeah, whatever presents itself with present itself but again, I'm not really attached to the outcome. I'm just worried about showing off, being my best."
Catch Israel Adesanya's comments below (6:40):
WATCH: Israel Adesanya and Dricus du Plessis share heated face-off following press conference
The official UFC 305 pre-fight press conference took place on 16 Aug. with the main event fighters, Israel Adesanya and Dricus du Plessis, sharing a heated exchange as tension climbs ahead of fight night.
Following their back-and-forth, 'The Last Stylebender' closed out the media event with an emotional speech, dedicating his upcoming clash to his family. Once the event concluded, the main card fighters were asked to face off for the crowd.
As expected, the final face-off, between Adesanya and 'Stillknocks' was coated in emotion, as the former middleweight champion could be seen speaking to his upcoming oppponent.
It is currently unclear what the 35-year-old said, but footage of their heated face-off was uploaded to X by the UFC's official page.
See Israel Adesanya and Dricus du Plessis' face-off below: