- Israel Adesanya broke down in tears during UFC 305 pre-fight press conference
- Earlier, Dricus du Plessis had infuriated Adesanya by saying he is a “true African”.
- ‘The Last Stylebender’ will look to regain his UFC middleweight title on Saturday
Former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya got emotional in front of the crowd and his upcoming opponent, Dircus du Plessis, at the pre-fight press conference.
The Nigerian-born New Zealander will return to the Octagon this weekend in his bid to regain the UFC middleweight title.
‘The Last Stylebender’ has not fought since September 2023, when he lost the belt in a stunning upset against Sean Strickland.
Now, Adesanya enters into a new saga with his old rival, Dricus du Plessis, who took the title from Strickland and will look to defend it.
The fighters have been feuding for years, but tensions have been boiling over since it was confirmed that African-born athletes will headline the UFC 305 main card.
Israel Adesanya broke down in tears after Dricus du Plessis made comments about his family’s wealth
The fighter got emotional, dropped the microphone and walked out of the UFC 305 pre-fight press conference
The two fighters have long been battling each other for the title of “true African”, after du Plessis claimed to be the first champion from the mother continent.
The statement angered Adesanya, who is originally from Nigeria despite representing New Zealand in the Octagon, as well as former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman.
However, DDP had a strong impact on Adesanya’s feelings at the pre-fight press conference as the latter broke down in tears before leaving the stage.
Tensions rose when Adesanya was asked if he would visit Africa in the near future, with the fighter confidently replying that he plans to take his belt to Nigeria and South Africa.
Du Plessis came up with the question: “Will you take the servants with you when you come back?”, suggesting the New Zealander grew up rich.
Adesanya exploded and asked: What the fuck are you talking about?
“You don’t even know anything about my story. You have no idea who the fuck I am.”
The crowd then asked ‘The Last Stylebender’ a question about the tension between the wrestlers.
Breaking down in tears, she pointed to her family and said: ‘It touched on an issue there because I’m doing this for family.’
‘I’m doing this for the people I love and I will fight for you forever, I swear to God.’
The 35-year-old again mocked his opponent after acknowledging his love for his fans.
‘I feel the love from the crowd. The first time I fought here (UFC) 221, it was in February 2018, and that’s when I made my dream come true.
“On Sunday I’m going to kill your dreams, bitch, I’m going to kill your dreams,” Adesanya said before leaving the stage when the press conference ended.
He then returned minutes later for a confrontation.
‘The Last Stylebender’ returned minutes later for another heated confrontation with Dricus du Plessis.
The 35-year-old Nigerian fighter will look to regain his UFC middleweight title on Saturday.
The fighters already had a heated confrontation in July, when they were face to face for more than 90 seconds and had to be separated.
The pair have a long-standing rivalry and will step into the Octagon to settle their differences on August 18 in Perth.