Dricus Du Plessis praises Israel Adesanya, but “Street is not fake”

PERTH, Australia – Dricus Du Plessis doesn't want to be friends with Israel Adesanya after UFC 305, but admits a new level of respect has developed.

After a heated and at times uncomfortable buildup to Saturday's middleweight title fight at the RAC Arena, Du Plessis (22-2 MMA, 8-0 UFC) entered the Octagon and scored a fourth-round submission victory over Adesanya (24-4 MMA, 13-4 UFC), making his first title defense.

Immediately after the fight, the two spent quite a while embracing in the Octagon, with Adesanya raising Du Plessis' hand for the world to see. Then, when they got backstage, Du Plessis gifted his opponent a custom-made jacket before Adesanya called him a “true African champion.”

Dricus Du Plessis and Israel Adesanya share an incredible backstage moment after #UFC305 and hugs, families. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/Dsu7btTZyV

— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) 18 August 2024

It seemed like all the animosity that had once felt so personal had disappeared. Du Plessis said that was largely the case, and although he stands behind all of his pre-fight comments, the champion said his admiration for Adesanya had grown.

“At the end of the day, I never wanted to challenge Israel or any other African fighter as the first African fighter (to win a UFC title),” Du Plessis told MMA Junkie and other reporters after the fight at UFC 305. “He was the first African fighter alive, and that's still the case. Nothing can change that. I remember at the press conference, when he got super emotional, I never attacked his family. I just wanted to make sure — I have parents too, and I respect everybody's parents. I just went over to him and said after the fight, 'If it sounded like I said something bad about your parents, that wasn't the case. What I'm trying to say to you? Be tough. If you want to cry about it, that's how it is. I will never disrespect your parents.' He said, 'No, no, no.' He understands that. From a warrior to a warrior. Israel Adesanya and I are not friends because we don't see eye to eye on a personal level. But warrior to warrior, after all the time he's spent in the Octagon and all the athletic success he's achieved, it's no secret that I respect that.

“After spending that time in the Octagon, you just can't respect that man and what he accomplished in the sport. Giving him that jacket was a reminder, a token of appreciation and a thank you for that. It's a reminder for me. It's such a huge moment in my life to fight a great fighter like Israel Adesanya. I brought the jacket to give to him before the fight. Win or lose, I wanted to give it to him because he said he wanted to fight warriors from all countries and I respect that and I wanted to give it to him as a token of appreciation for fighting and giving me that incredible fight and bringing out the best in me and also as a reminder of that magical moment of an all-African main event.”

No matter how much grudges may arise before the fight, most athletes are always willing to make peace after the fight. Spending time together in the cage creates a certain bond, especially in a hard-fought contest like the one between Du Plessis (30) and Adesanya (35) at UFC 305.

The fact that Adesanya made the effort to raise Du Plessis' hand in triumph on multiple occasions is further proof of that, and although he isn't keen on becoming buddies, Du Plessis said the post-fight scenes were further proof of what makes MMA such a unique and powerful sport.

“I say this all the time: The falling out between me and Israel was not fake,” Du Plessis said. “The fact that we don't like each other on a personal level was not fake. At least not on my part. In this Octagon, that's just irrelevant. What does it matter? I'm not talking about hating Israel Adesanya. I'm just saying that if we were in a social setting, I probably wouldn't be sitting at his table. And that's fine. … But the respect that I have for him in this sport and for what he's done cannot be denied. Because if you don't, you're an idiot. If you can't see what Israel has done in this sport and appreciate that as a warrior, as a fellow fighter, you're an idiot. The man has done great things in this sport. It means the world to me that the sport brings people together.”

Du Plessis said he couldn't be happier with his performance against Adesanya considering the former champion's performance. Adesanya made no excuses after his loss and gave the winner all the respect, and Du Plessis is grateful for that.

“The man was as good as I thought he was,” Du Plessis said. “He was so good. I'm so glad he went out there and said after the fight, 'That was the best Israel Adesanya.' He felt great. You could see it in his body. That's work. He had more heart (than I thought). I said I would take him out in the third round and I did that in the fourth. I could see at the end of the third round that he was slowly breaking down, just breaking down. But it just wasn't enough and in the fourth round (I forced him to submit).”

For more information on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 305.