Daniel Cormier explains how Dricus du Plessis’s trash talk is directly related to his fighting style: “It’s frustrating!”

UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier believes Dricus du Plessis’s mental warfare tactics are indicative of his performances in the cage.

Du Plessis will make his first UFC middleweight title defense this weekend against Israel Adesanya in the UFC 305 main event. The UFC’s return to Perth is expected to be one of the biggest cards of the year, featuring a Kai Kara-France vs. Steve Erceg co-main event.

Ahead of the fight night theatrics, du Plessis and the other UFC 305 main card fighters came face-to-face at the pre-fight press conference. In front of a wild crowd in Perth, du Plessis and Adesanya traded barbs throughout the fight week event, leading Adesanya to express an emotional reaction to du Plessis.

Cormier, who will be on the call this weekend alongside Jon Anik and Dominick Cruz, believes du Plessis’s ability to get under his opponents’ skin is a part of who he is as a fighter.

Daniel Cormier credits Dricus du Plessis for “frustrating” persona

During a recent interview with MMA Junkie‘s Mike Bohn, Cormier reacted to du Plessis’s tactics at the UFC 305 press conference.

“I don’t know if I’ve seen that from [Israel Adesanya], Sean Strickland was pretty emotional,” Cormier said. “I think Dricus [du Plessis], he frustrates you, he might frustrate these guys so much that they have these emotional responses to him, and it’s crazy. It’s kind of on-brand for him, even his fighting style, it’s frustrating for his opponents and they can’t figure him out…

“I think that’s what happened to Adesanya today and he was very emotional. It was something, I haven’t seen that much [from him].”

Du Plessis defeated Sean Strickland for the UFC middleweight title at UFC 297 earlier this year. Adesanya returns to the Octagon after a nearly full year away from fighting, stemming from a loss to Strickland at UFC 293.