- Israel Adesanya explained why he pointed to the ground at UFC 305 seconds before being finished by Dricus du Plessis
- Izzy said he lost his focus shortly after that moment
Isreal Adesanya made it clear to everybody that he didn’t pull off a Max Holloway gesture on Dricus du Plessis at UFC 305.
That wasn’t a Max moment
Speaking on his YouTube channel, “The Last Stylebender” lifted the lid on what was supposed to be an epic moment for him at UFC 305. It can be recalled that a few seconds before being submitted by Dricus du Plessis, Adesanya pointed at the ground in front of “Stillknocks.”
Many, including the commentary team, took it as a reminiscent of Holloway’s savage gesture before he knocked Justin Gaethje out at UFC 300. However, Izzy revealed that he wasn’t mimicking anything at that moment and was just trying to tell Du Plessis that he tripped on that spot.
“Let me explain this because the commentary booth got it wrong,” Adesanya clarified. “But, again, it’s on the fly, and it’s what you see in real time. I was moving, and then my right ankle rolled and I tripped as he was throwing. So, to the untrained eye to or in the moment, it looked like [Max Holloway]. I think maybe Dom [Cruz] said, ‘Oh, that was a really bad shot he got hit with.’ And it looked like I was rocked. But, then I got up or circled out, and I pointed at the ground looking at him. And DC goes, ‘He’s pointing at the ground like Max Holloway…’ Nope. What I said to him was, like, I tripped. You didn’t rock me. I didn’t want him to think he would rock me or anything.”
🫡Israel Adesanya reveals he didn't point at the ground to copy Max Holloway's 'stand and bang' but that he was telling Du Plessis that he tripped
🎥@stylebender 🔹 pic.twitter.com/JzewK1z6Bg
— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) August 19, 2024
https://x.com/ChampRDS/status/1825612821943693432
Izzy lost his focus
One thing Adesanya admitted though, was that he lost his focus a bit after pointing to the ground. The former UFC middleweight champion believes that it was a perfect timing for Du Plessis, who indeed, capitalized on it.
“In hindsight, I think that moment, he used that as a moment to just capitalize, so then he just closed the distance on me straight away. I lost focus in that moment,” Izzy admitted.
Despite feuding with Du Plessis ahead of UFC 305, Adesanya confessed to becoming a fan of his nemesis after the fight. That said, Izzy noted that he doesn’t feel like rushing back to rematch “Stillknocks.”
