Israel Adesanya‘s retribution night at UFC 305 didn’t go as planned at all. The former UFC middleweight champion failed to get back his belt against Dricus Du Plessis. After the fight, many thought Izzy was going to retire but according to the ‘Last Stylebender’, that’s not his plan.
As expected, the main event of UFC 305 was an all-time classic match-up. Both fighters did their best and the crowd was heavily involved in the fight. After four rounds of back and forth, Dricus Du Plessis took the win by submitting Adesanya with a rear naked choke. When asked about retirement, Izzy in his classic fashion dropped Leonardo DiCaprio’s iconic ‘The Wolf of the Wall Street’ dialogue.
I’m 35, I’m doing the right things. I know all these motherf****** wanna see me lose. Wanna see me down but watch this, I’m not f***** leaving. I’m not f***** leaving.
Israel Adesanya via UFC 305 octagon interview
Going into the fight, the animosity between Du Plessis and Adesanya was at its height. The trash-talking didn’t see any limits as DDP left Adesanya crying during the pre-fight presser. However, after the fight, both fighters showed immense mutual respect.
Right after the winner was announced, Izzy removed his gloves which looked like he was going to hang his gloves. DDP also noticed it and showed his respect towards the achievements of Adesanya. However, as it turns out the challenger was just hurt in his hands and had no plans to retire.
Israel Adesanya buries the hatchet with ‘African champion’ Dricus Du Plessis
The rivalry between Israel Adesanya and Dricus Du Plessis has been erupting for a long time now. It all started when Izzy felt disrespected by DDP for discrediting the ‘Three African Kings’. Over the course of their fight camp, both fighters didn’t leave any opportunity to mock each other’s nationality and ethnicity.
However, fans were pleased to see the mutual respect and admiration both showed after the main event fight. Israel Adesanya credited DDP’s game plan and overall approach in the fight. He squashed the beef and showed respect for the champ’s latest victory.
I think Africa won tonight. He’s gonna inspire the next generation as well as African fighters. Just the way me, Kamaru Usman and Francis Ngannou have inspired him to become an African champion.
Israel Adesanya via UFC 305 post-fight presser
Dricus Du Plessis also revealed that he’s a fan of Izzy and was honored to share the octagon with him. The pair hugged each other inside the octagon and also spent some respectable moments in the arena before leaving. It was Du Plessis’s first-ever title defense and the end of Adesanya’s 12th consecutive title fight in a row.
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