The back and forth between Dricus Du Plessis and Israel Adesanya at the UFC 305 press conference raised plenty of eyebrows.
The pair of elite middleweights are set to headline this weekend’s pay-per-view event in Perth, Australia, with the South African’s title being on the line inside the RAC Arena seven months on from his crowning.
As is customary during PPV fight weeks, Du Plessis and Adesanya were among those to take to the stage for the press conference on Friday. And given the tense buildup to their showdown following some controversial and sensitive remarks from the champ, things threatened to boil over.
Du Plessis’ “real African” comments early on in his UFC career and subsequent statements regarding being the first African-residing titleholder rubbed Adesanya the wrong way. And when the topic came up at the presser, emotions rose to the surface…
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After initially trading light-hearted barbs, a comment Du Plessis directed at Adesanya regarding “servants” increased tensions. “The Last Stylebender” fired back before later breaking down in tears while explaining his emotions.
The moment drew out plenty of reactions across the mixed martial arts community, with many pointing to Sean Strickland’s tears following trash talk from Du Plessis to acknowledge Adesanya as the second consecutive opponent whom the champ has made cry.
Others warned “Stillknocks” that he’s committed a grave mistake by making things so personal for Adesanya, who is returning from an 11-month layoff in pursuit of “taking heads.”
