Israel Adesanya recently shed light on his post-fight interaction following his defeat to Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 305.
Adesanya’s bid to reclaim the middleweight title for a third time ended in heartbreak as he fell to a fourth-round submission against "Stillknocks" last weekend at the RAC Arena in Perth, Western Australia.
Adesanya started the bout with impressive precision, appearing to have the fight under control. However, Du Plessis dramatically altered the course of the contest in the championship round, landing a torrent of potent blows that left the former champion reeling. The South African expertly seized the opening to lock in a decisive rear-naked choke to conclude the bout.
Though the build-up to this fight was marked by a fierce exchange of verbal jabs, particularly revolving around the cultural clash narrative, Adesanya and Du Plessis left the animosity behind once they settled their differences in the Octagon.
After the fight concluded, the middleweight rivals were seen exchanging cordial words in the Octagon before the result was announced. "Stillknocks" promptly paid tribute to his opponent, hailing the Nigerian-born Kiwi as a “legend” and a future “Hall of Famer.” In turn, "The Last Stylebender" hinted at a potential future camaraderie with Du Plessis, even suggesting they might hang out as he spoke with UFC color commentator Daniel Cormier.
Adesanya On Du Plessis: 'I Don't Think He's A Bad Person'
During a recent video on his YouTube channel, Adesanya opened up about the exchange he had with Du Plessis after their bout. "The Last Stylebender" revealed that their words were filled with mutual respect and that his perception of the South African fighter has since evolved.
Oh, he just gave me a lot of props, a lot of love, a lot of respect," Adesanya said. "I accepted it and I shook his hand. Then, after his interview, when we were leaving the cage, we just talked. He said 'sorry,' maybe—I can't remember—but he just gave me a lot of props. He said, 'Hey, you know, I'm a big fan,' and of course, I was like, 'I know.' And I said, 'Look, look how far we've come from way back then—who would have thought? Now we're here.' I was like, 'f**k yeah,' and then we hugged. I said, 'Look, I respect you, I appreciate you.' I don't think DDP is a bad person. I don't know him. Again, we're not friends, we don't know each other, but we can be cool—we're cool, and I respect him.
Adesanya further stressed that any lingering grudges against Du Plessis are now a thing of the past.
"It was never beef. Again, when I say beef, it's just like you have to fight someone—you don't have to like them. You don't have to like them. Again, he didn't like me, I didn't like him, but I think now we have a healthy respect for each other. I won't say we're BFFs or we're friends, but if I see him, it's love. I'll give him a hug, I'll dap him up.
The rivalry between Adesanya and Du Plessis had seen its ups and downs over the past year, starting when Adesanya held the title, and Du Plessis vowed to become the UFC's first "true African champion."