- Dricus du Plessis and Israel Adesanya delighted the crowd with an intense faceoff ahead of UFC 305
- Izzy talked about his motivation heading to his UFC return and his goal to beat guys like “Stillknocks”
Dricus du Plessis and Israel Adesanya did not fail to live up to the hype of their rivalry during their first UFC 305 faceoff.
An intense staredown
Prior to being booked for UFC 305, “Stillknocks” and “The Last Stylebender” have already been feuding. In their first meeting in the flesh ahead of their middleweight title fight, Du Plessis and Adesanya engaged in a lengthy staredown with both fighters trying to intimidated each other.
Check out the faceoff below:
Izzy wants violence
Adesanya lost his middleweight title to Sean Strickland at UFC 293 when he decided to take a break from MMA. Despite having given the chance to reclaim his throne, Izzy pointed out that it’s not gonna be his main focus
Instead, Adesanya said he is motivated by the idea of dismantling the best fighters from all over the world, starting with Du Plessis.
“For me, it’s [about] taking on the best warriors from different lands and putting them on my record. I’ve never beaten Dricus Du Plessis, so beating him is what attracts me to this fight, not the belt. Those who have never been in our shoes will never understand that mindset. So yeah, f**k the belts. I’m coming for heads, and I stick with that,” Adesanya said.
The flame is back
Izzy also talked about why he decided to return despite enjoying his time off. According to the former middleweight champ, seeing his friends finding success in the UFC is one of the reasons.
“This is the longest layoff of my fighting career… It’s not just the fights itself, the camps, or the pressure of being the king of everything, so it was good for me to remove myself from the game. Enjoy life. I took up golf. Slowed things down a little bit. Doing that, makes me appreciate this more,” Adesanya explained.
Israel Adesanya talks about his layoff, and says the flame inside of him has been reignited 🔥
🎥@ufc #UFC305 #UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/nxWdwP3UH3
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) July 3, 2024
“I get to see my homies like Carlos [Ulberg], Kevin Joussett… Seeing them bright-eyed like, ‘Wow, I’m about to get in the UFC, or I’m in the UFC doing it,’ kind of reignites that flame, and also taking time off did that for me,” he added.
“I’m coming for heads” pic.twitter.com/tqC0B9HPuK
— MMA Mania (@mmamania) July 3, 2024
Adesanya will try and beat ring rust and become the middleweight champion once again. On the other hand, Du Plessis will look to defend his title for the first time. UFC 305 will take place on August 17 at Rac Arena in Perth, Australia.
