Dricus du Plessis piles on Israel Adesanya online after emotional UFC 305 press conference

UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis has opened up after a wild UFC 305 press conference with Israel Adesanya.

Du Plessis will make his first middleweight title defense in Perth this Saturday at UFC 305. He’ll face Adesanya after months of bad blood between the two sides, stemming from their heated Octagon faceoff at UFC 290.

Du Plessis is known to push the buttons of his opponents leading up to the fights, as evidenced by his pre-fight barrage on Sean Strickland ahead of UFC 297. He isn’t afraid to approach the line of what’s seen as acceptable trash talk in modern MMA.

The UFC 305 pre-fight press conference didn’t disappoint. Just before the press conference ended, du Plessis invoked an emotional response from Adesanya after mocking his childhood and journey.

Dricus du Plessis pours it on Israel Adesanya

Du Plessis didn’t take long to post on social media after the emotional press conference.

Come on guys stop crying at the press conferences it’s not that serious 🤣

— Dricus Du Plessis (@dricusduplessis) August 16, 2024

“Come on guys stop crying at the press conferences it’s not that serious [LAUGHS],” du Plessis tweeted.

Du Plessis followed that post up with another stinging tweet.

I win the screenshot game pic.twitter.com/lgxEBd5TvB

— Dricus Du Plessis (@dricusduplessis) August 16, 2024

“I win the screenshot game,” du Plessis said.

Du Plessis defeated Strickland for the middleweight championship at UFC 297 by split decision. He’s riding a nine-fight winning streak heading into UFC 305, including recent finishes against Robert Whittaker and Derek Brunson.

Adesanya returns to the Octagon after nearly a full year away from fighting. He hasn’t competed since a shocking unanimous decision defeat to Strickland at UFC 293 last year.

The bad blood between du Plessis and Adesanya has ramped up in recent weeks. While both middleweights have dismissed the idea that their upcoming fight is personal, there’s little respect between the two sides.

Du Plessis might’ve struck a nerve with Adesanya at the UFC 305 press conference. We’re hours away from finding out if that’ll work in his favor or lead to his downfall in the Octagon.