"What I worry about is executing" - Israel Adesanya shares final thoughts before UFC 305 showdown against Dricus du Plessis
As he showed at the UFC 305 pre-fight press conference, Israel Adesanya is letting all of his raw emotions out before he steps into the cage with Dricus du Plessis. That included admitting what he is worried about in his 28th professional MMA fight.
Adesanya released his final UFC 305 preparation video on his YouTube channel just hours before the event showing the concluding steps he has taken following his weigh-in. At one point in the video, 'The Last Stylebender' spoke to the camera and provided his last thoughts on the fight before leaving for the arena.
Adesanya said (via Home of Fight):
"I'm not even worried about the result... I could give a f*** what happens at the end of the fight. What I worry about is executing, cause my last time I was not able to execute and the result was what it was. But executing what I can execute — and I know I can now — when I get that done, everything else will follow so I'm not that attached to the result."
Check out Israel Adesanya's comments below:
With the event just hours away from the beginning, Adesanya remains a slight betting favorite to become the first three-time UFC middleweight champion. He is just 1-2 in his last three fights and has not fought in 11 months after losing the title to Sean Strickland at UFC 293.
Watch Israel Adesanya's full video on YouTube below:
Israel Adesanya's last fight
When Dricus du Plessis turned down a title fight against Israel Adesanya at UFC 293 due to injury, Sean Strickland stepped in for what was supposed to be an easy title defense for the champion. Adesanya closed as one of the biggest betting favorites of the year and was fighting in his region in Australia.
However, instead of a dominant performance from Adesanya, it would be Strickland who comfortably won the fight, taking four of the five rounds on all three judges' scorecards. Strickland became the first person to record a knockdown against Adesanya, putting the champion down in the first round.
Per his comments of not 'executing,' Adesanya was out-struck by Strickland in nearly every round, landing just 94 significant strikes to 137 from 'Tarzan.' He was routinely put on his back foot from the pressure of Strickland, spending almost all 25 minutes defending against the fence.