The leadup to UFC 305 between Dricus Du Plessis and Israel Adesanya was a bad-blood affair filled with trash-talking about colonialism and a person’s roots. But, after the fight, the two athletes showed respect to one another and sealed it with a kiss.
Dricus Du Plessis and Israel Adesanya End Rivalry with a Kiss
“The Last Stylebender” Israel Adesanya is a Nigerian-Kiwi fighter who proudly represents his home nation of Nigeria and the continent of Africa. Along with Francis Ngannou and Kamaru Usman, these athletes called themselves the three kings of Africa when all of them held UFC titles.
In the leadup to the fight, Adesanya criticized Du Plessis for not being an African as he is a white person. Stillknocks” Dricus Du Plessis was confused as he was born in South Africa where he still resides to this day. In response, the South African fighter countered by saying Adesanya grew up wealthy.
After four rounds of action, in a closely fought back-and-forth fight, Dricus Du Plessis was able to defend his middleweight crown against the former division champion by fourth-round submission. “The Last Stylebender” was graceful and said that tonight Africa won. Du Plessis said that Adesanya is a legend and it was an honor fighting him, he also gifted his opponent a jacket from South Africa.
After the fight, while in the cage, the two hugged, and Israel Adesanya kissed his fingers and placed them on Dricus Du Plessis’s lips which caused both to laugh. See the video below:
It ends with a smooch.
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Dricus Du Plessis was congratulated on his win by the president of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa. His next middleweight bout is likely a rematch against Sean Strickland, the man he originally took the middleweight crown from. Other top contenders include the winner of Robert Whittaker and Khamzat Chimaev who are booked for UFC 308.