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.
The contest in Perth, Australia, will mark Adesanya’s long-awaited return to action almost a year on from his shock setback at the hands of Sean Strickland at UFC 293 in Sydney last September.
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.
And ahead of their showdown at RAC Arena next month, the pair went face to face in Perth this week for an on-sale press conference, where they were joined on stage by UFC 305 flyweight opponents Kai Kara-France and Steve Erceg.
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.
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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.