UFC Middleweight Champion Dricus Du Plessis had some strong words for Israel Adesanya when they went face to face for the first time since confirmation of their upcoming fight. In a bout that has been a long time in the making, Du Plessis will put his 185-pound gold on the line against the division’s former […]
UFC Middleweight Champion Dricus Du Plessis had some strong words for Israel Adesanya when they went face to face for the first time since confirmation of their upcoming fight.
In a bout that has been a long time in the making, Du Plessis will put his 185-pound gold on the line against the division’s former two-time champ at UFC 305 on August 17.
That matchup came about after number one contender “Stillknocks” was unable to make the turnaround after his victory over Robert Whittaker through injury. While that delayed the settling of Du Plessis and Adesanya’s grudge, the South African’s subsequent title crowning in Toronto, Canada, this past January brought it back to the surface.
Du Plessis Uses Golf Jibe To Outline Plan To ‘Retire’ Adesanya
As expected, the historical and sensitive nature of Du Plessis and Adesanya’s heated rivalry was a topic of conversation on stage, with the latter again commenting on the South African’s claim regarding African champs.
After reiterating his defense of that controversy from last year, Du Plessis went in a different direction, using Adesanya’s apparent newfound fondness for golf to predict his impending retirement.
“I’m glad you took up golf, because that’s a retirement sport,” Du Plessis said.
During the presser, the pair also engaged in one of the lengthiest and most intense faceoffs in recent memory on stage.
Suffice to say, there will be plenty more of that when the pair cross paths for promotional events during UFC 305 fight week in August, at the end of which Adesanya will hope to emerge with a third middleweight rule underway.
Welcome to MMA News Today, a daily feature running down the most interesting stories in the world of mixed martial arts. For July 3, 2024, we’re taking a look at: Dricus Du Plessis Makes Joking Remark To Israel Adesanya During Heated Faceoff Dricus Du Plessis and Israel Adesanya came face to face once again during the press conference […]
Welcome to MMA News Today, a daily feature running down the most interesting stories in the world of mixed martial arts. For July 3, 2024, we’re taking a look at:
Du Plessis has the best reply to Adesanya jab
Jones gives his side of the story on the use of magic and spirits
Diaz knew his own value before taking McGregor opportunity
Dricus Du Plessis Makes Joking Remark To Israel Adesanya During Heated Faceoff
Before the two rivals meet at UFC 305 on August 17 in Perth, they shared an incredibly tense staredown that is sure to build excitement for their eventual meeting.
Adesanya appeared to be the one to say something to Du Plessis first during the staredown which the middleweight champion was asked about after the press conference.
He jokingly made remarks about something that Adesanya’s last opponent, Sean Strickland, also chose to make fun of throughout the build-up to their fight.
Du Plessis referenced a video of Adesanya and his dog which appears to be a bit of a sore subject for “The Last Stylebender”, as was proven after the Strickland fight.
“I think he said, ‘Don’t kiss me’, as far as I know. I said I’m no dog so I won’t and you know, I don’t really know what he was saying. I wasn’t really focused on what he was saying.”
Jon Jones Says He Has Experienced ‘Spirit Channelling’ & Magic’ For Himself Following UFC 303 Controversy
Alex Pereira and Ji?í Procházka are two of the most intense individuals in the sport when it comes to fight night.
Before UFC 303 got underway, Procházka spoke about how he believed “Poatan” was using the help of magic and spirits in his fight, asking him to abstain in their rematch.
Whilst Pereira offered a classy response to this in his post-fight interview after beating the former champion, UFC heavyweight champ Jon Jones is the latest to weigh in on this.
He posted on social media about how there is some truth to this based on his experiences of stepping into certain arenas and coming up against specific opponents.
“There has been a lot of talk about spirit channeling and magic in MMA lately. This stuff is all very real. I felt all types of weird energies walking into those arenas. Looking certain opponents in the eyes. I want to let you all know that Jesus Christ is king, he is and always will be undefeated. Every knee shall bow.”
There has been a lot of talk about spirit channeling and magic in MMA lately. This stuff is all very real. I felt all types of weird energies walking into those arenas. Looking certain opponents in the eyes. I want to let you all know that Jesus Christ is king, he is and always…
Nate Diaz Reveals How He Negotiated A Much Higher Purse For His First Fight With Conor McGregor
Nate Diaz has always been a cult icon in combat sports but UFC 196 was a moment that changed his life forever.
The Stockton fighter became a huge name overnight when he stepped into the main event on late notice to fight Conor McGregor in one of the most iconic moments in the history of the sport.
Diaz was well compensated for stepping up to save the day in place of Rafael Dos Anjos but he did have to put his foot down in order to get a much higher purse than was initially offered.
He told MMA great Demetrious Johnson during an interview on The MightyCast how he knew what his own value was at the time and made sure he was suitably compensated.
“At the time, it was (the biggest pay check I’d received). But they were trying to give me pennies for that too,” Diaz said. “I was like, ‘Yeah, right. I know what I’m doing here. I’ve been through it.’ I’d already been into it with the organization about that. So they called me and they were like, ‘Hey, while you’re going to do this, we’re going to give you a million dollars.’ I was like, ‘Hey, you’re gonna give me more than that.’
“So I got like five times more than that because of that. I knew the game by then and I was like, ‘F*ck that,’” Diaz continued. “Remember when I was telling you about how if I fight every two months, I could be rich. That basic math attitude kind of f*cking times 10, times 100, over and over again. So I knew what it was with the whole money in the business and sh*t. I might not be educated but I’m not stupid.”
Dricus du Plessis has ramped up his rivalry with incoming UFC 305 headliner, Israel Adesanya following last night’s tense…
Dricus du Plessis has ramped up his rivalry with incoming UFC 305 headliner, Israel Adesanya following last night’s tense pre-fight press conference in Perth, poking funat the ex-champion’s warning against “kissing” him during their heated staredown.
du Plessis, the current undisputed middleweight champion, is slated to make his return in August, taking on former two-weight titleholder, Adesanya in his first defense of the divisional throne.
Winning his crown back in January in the main event of UFC 297, du Plessis took home a close, split decision win over common-foe, Sean Strickland, minting himself as the undisputed middleweight champion to boot.
And sharing the stage with City Kickboxing striker, Adesanya overnight at their pre-fight press conference ahead of UFC 305 – du Plessis was once more accused of disrespecting former champions hailing from Africa – namely Kamaru Usman, Francis Ngannou, and the above-mentioned, Adesanya.
Dricus du Plessis pokes fun at Israel Adesanya once more
Engaging in a brief spat of back-and-forth verbals, Pretoria native, du Plessis – who has yet to suffer defeat inside the Octagon, claimed Adesanya urged him not to lock lips during their face-off, before he then hit out at prior accusations of the ex-champion kissing his dog.
“I think he (Israel Adesanya) said, ‘Don’t kiss me,’” Dricus du Plessis told Submission Radio. “As far as I know, he said, ‘Don’t go kissing me now,’ I said, ‘I’m no dog, so i won’t.’ I don’t know what he was saying. I wasn’t really focused on what he was saying. I didn’t say anything. You know, I’m not here to say anything to him. The date is set. There’s no need to be saying anything.”
Who wins at UFC 305 next month: Dricus du Plessis or Israel Adesanya?
The top fighters confirmed to be in action at UFC 305 on August 17 took to the stage for an on-sale press conference in the event’s host city this week. Mixed martial arts’ leading promotion will return to Perth next month for the first time since last February. On that occasion, the RAC Arena played […]
The top fighters confirmed to be in action at UFC 305 on August 17 took to the stage for an on-sale press conference in the event’s host city this week.
Mixed martial arts’ leading promotion will return to Perth next month for the first time since last February. On that occasion, the RAC Arena played host to local favorite Alexander Volkanovski’s competitive lightweight title challenge against Islam Makhachev.
This time around, the venue will mark the location for the long-awaited comeback of another standout from the Oceanic region, former two-time UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya.
Also on the lineup is a teammate of Adesanya’s in Kai Kara-France. With concussion issues keeping him out of a fight close to home 10 months ago and leaving him without Octagon action since a narrow loss to Amir Albazi last May, “Don’t Blink” will look to reinsert his name into the title conversation at flyweight.
He likely won’t have the backing of the crowd on August 17, however, as he goes up against Perth’s own Steve Erceg. The contest will mark “Astroboy’s” first since falling short of Alexandre Pantoja’s 125-pound gold at UFC 301 in Rio de Janeiro a couple of months ago.
With Fight Club Pre-Sale starting on Tuesday, the promotion hosted a press conference in Perth, where Du Plessis, Adesanya, Kara-France, and Erceg all had mics in hand.
See below for a full replay of the presser, followed by all the highlights and one of the longest, most intense faceoffs in recent memory between the two UFC 305 headliners.
Former two-time UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya had a stoic reaction as Alex Pereira rendered Ji?í Procházka unconscious. Pereira headlined this past weekend’s UFC 303 pay-per-view in defense of his light heavyweight title. The Brazilian, who previously held the belt at 185 pounds, was once again tasked with stalling Procházka’s pursuit of two-time status. While […]
While the finish of their first fight back at UFC 295 last November left many dissatisfied and bemoaning the stoppage as early, that was not the case second time around, as “Poatan” brutally knocking “BJP” out with a head kick and follow-up punches on the ground.
As has become a common occurrence whenever he enters the cage, Pereira’s latest triumph once again had fans in the arena and at home on their feet yelling Joe Rogan-esque screams.
But one man’s reaction was a far cry from that…
Adesanya Reacts To Pereira vs. Procházka 2: ‘Damn, That’s Bad’
In a video recently uploaded to his YouTube channel, Adesanya and some of his training partners can be seen reacting to the events that unfolded at the International Fight Week event on June 29.
The Nigerian-New Zealander had a strong connection to the main event, having faced Pereira four times across mixed martial arts and kickboxing, defeating him once by way of KO last April.
Since the pair last faced off, Pereira has flattened his opponents three times with his renowned power. With that, Adesanya was seemingly not at all shocked by Saturday’s finish and remained stoically reclined on his couch as “Poatan” floored his Czech counterpart with a head kick.
“Damn, that is bad. Oh, that is bad,” Adesanya said in the immediate after of the finish. “This card was cursed”
Much has been made about the potential of Pereira and Adesanya competing their MMA trilogy up at light heavyweight down the line.
For now, “The Last Stylebender” has his sights set on regaining the middleweight gold and settling his grudge with another rival in Dricus Du Plessis, whom Adesanya has gone back and forth with for well over a year.
They’re set to headline the upcoming UFC 305 event in Perth, Australia, on August 17.
Former two-time UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya had a stoic reaction as Alex Pereira rendered Ji?í Procházka unconscious. Pereira headlined this past weekend’s UFC 303 pay-per-view in defense of his light heavyweight title. The Brazilian, who previously held the belt at 185 pounds, was once again tasked with stalling Procházka’s pursuit of two-time status. While […]
While the finish of their first fight back at UFC 295 last November left many dissatisfied and bemoaning the stoppage as early, that was not the case second time around, as “Poatan” brutally knocking “BJP” out with a head kick and follow-up punches on the ground.
As has become a common occurrence whenever he enters the cage, Pereira’s latest triumph once again had fans in the arena and at home on their feet yelling Joe Rogan-esque screams.
But one man’s reaction was a far cry from that…
Adesanya Reacts To Pereira vs. Procházka 2: ‘Damn, That’s Bad’
In a video recently uploaded to his YouTube channel, Adesanya and some of his training partners can be seen reacting to the events that unfolded at the International Fight Week event on June 29.
The Nigerian-New Zealander had a strong connection to the main event, having faced Pereira four times across mixed martial arts and kickboxing, defeating him once by way of KO last April.
Since the pair last faced off, Pereira has flattened his opponents three times with his renowned power. With that, Adesanya was seemingly not at all shocked by Saturday’s finish and remained stoically reclined on his couch as “Poatan” floored his Czech counterpart with a head kick.
“Damn, that is bad. Oh, that is bad,” Adesanya said in the immediate after of the finish. “This card was cursed”
Much has been made about the potential of Pereira and Adesanya competing their MMA trilogy up at light heavyweight down the line.
For now, “The Last Stylebender” has his sights set on regaining the middleweight gold and settling his grudge with another rival in Dricus Du Plessis, whom Adesanya has gone back and forth with for well over a year.
They’re set to headline the upcoming UFC 305 event in Perth, Australia, on August 17.
#UFC305 pic.twitter.com/DtyGotYbSz
Dricus du Plessis has ramped up his rivalry with incoming UFC 305 headliner, Israel Adesanya following last night’s tense…
