UFC Middleweight Champion Dricus Du Plessis had some robust phrases for Israel Adesanya after they went head to head for the primary time since affirmation of their upcoming battle.
In a bout that has been a very long time within the making, Du Plessis will put his 185-pound gold on the road towards the division’s former two-time champ at UFC 305 on August 17.
The competition in Perth, Australia, will mark Adesanya’s long-awaited return to motion virtually a 12 months on from his shock setback at the hands of Sean Strickland at UFC 293 in Sydney last September.
That matchup took place after primary contender “Stillknocks” was unable to make the turnaround after his victory over Robert Whittaker by way of damage. Whereas that delayed the settling of Du Plessis and Adesanya’s grudge, the South African’s subsequent title crowning in Toronto, Canada, this previous January introduced it again to the floor.
And forward of their showdown at RAC Area subsequent month, the pair went face to face in Perth this week for an on-sale press conference, the place they had been joined on stage by UFC 305 flyweight opponents Kai Kara-France and Steve Erceg.
Du Plessis Makes use of Golf Jibe To Define Plan To ‘Retire’ Adesanya
As anticipated, the historic and delicate nature of Du Plessis and Adesanya’s heated rivalry was a subject of dialog on stage, with the latter once more commenting on the South African’s declare concerning African champs.
After reiterating his protection of that controversy from final 12 months, Du Plessis went in a distinct path, utilizing Adesanya’s obvious newfound fondness for golf to foretell his impending retirement.
“I’m glad you took up golf, as a result of that’s a retirement sport,” Du Plessis mentioned.
Through the presser, the pair additionally engaged in one of many lengthiest and most intense faceoffs in latest reminiscence on stage.
Suffice to say, there might be lots extra of that when the pair cross paths for promotional occasions throughout UFC 305 battle week in August, on the finish of which Adesanya will hope to emerge with a 3rd middleweight rule underway.
