UFC 305: Dricus Du Plessis says Israel Adesanya one of the greats, then warns 'I’m mentally unbreakable'

Dricus du Plessis lauded his UFC 305 rival Israel Adesanya as “one of the greatest fighters ever” but the South African is brimming with confidence ahead of their hotly anticipated middleweight title bout.

The two MMA stars go head-to-head at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia on Sunday, August 18, live on TNT Sports 1 and discovery+.

It is an eagerly awaited clash between two men with a point to prove; Du Plessis claimed the middleweight belt from Sean Strickland in January, but must defend it against a two-time champion he has enormous respect for.

“[Adesanya’s] career can’t be argued,” Du Plessis told the official UFC website. “He’s one of the greatest fighters ever. Not in the middleweight division, not in the UFC, but in MMA, one of the best to ever do it.

“While he’s still in the organisation, I’m holding the belt, which makes it pretty evident that there’s something special [about me] and there’s something different.

“There’s definitely that extra motivation defending this title, and in a fight of this magnitude. It’s not my first headliner. My previous one I was a contender. As a champion it makes no difference.

“But the magnitude of this fight, myself versus Adesanya, this fight’s been in the making for almost two years.”

Although Du Plessis’ words showed respect for his opponent’s career and achievements, the pair have had an often-heated build-up to Sunday’s fight.

The South African first called out Adesanya after beating Robert Whittaker at UFC 290, where the then-champion was a spectator, inviting him into the Octagon for an intense face-off.

History repeated itself in last month’s pre-fight press conference, when they stared each other down for a minute-and-a-half as the tensions rose further, but Du Plessis played down the background noise.

“It’s never, ever personal," he said. "It never has been, and it never will be.

“There’s nothing that can be said, there’s nothing that can be done that’s going to have an effect on me, mentally or emotionally. It’s strictly business when I get in there.

“I go out there and I’m mentally unbreakable. That’s my biggest attribute. I go out there and I see it for what it is. There’s no insult, there’s nothing anybody can say. He’s obviously emotional going in, but I’m not.

“When it’s a press conference, I answer the question that’s given to me, and if my opponent is treating me with respect, then I will return the favour.

“But if you’re going to try to push me around, bully me on that mic, I will do to you exactly what I will do in the fight: I will not allow it.

“I think that is a big key for me and a big weapon that I have is to be able to shut down anything that happened previously, anything that happens outside the Octagon and focusing on the task at hand, and that’s winning the fight.”  

Du Plessis also responded to some criticisms of his fighting style, despite its evident success.

The 30-year-old’s UFC record boasts a perfect seven wins in a row, while he has finished five of them.

“It’s easy to be on the outside and looking at my fights and going, ‘This is not good, he got lucky,’” Du Plessis said.

“I’ve been lucky quite a few times. I’ve been very lucky. I’ve held a title and multiple titles in every organisation I’ve ever fought in. I’m currently the No. 1 middleweight on planet Earth.

“When it comes to the way I fight, every fight is different. It’s unorthodox, but when I’m doing it, I know exactly why I’m doing it. And what I’m doing. It’s hard to figure that out, because to find somebody to imitate my style, which I’ve heard is a very weird style, is really hard to do.

“What makes myself different is I don’t try to fight like anybody else. I don’t try to adhere to the norm of this is how you should look, because that’s the critique I’ve been getting for my whole UFC career, that it doesn’t look right.

“A gorilla on roller skates is what somebody said.”

He added: “I mean that’s a pretty good comparison. I look at the fights and I’m like, ‘OK, that makes sense.’ But I don’t want to adhere to what looks good. What looks good is a world title around your waist.”

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