Daniel Cormier asked Dricus du Plessis how he gets his opponents emotional.
“I think the problem is with me because it’s clearly 2/2.”😭😭
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— Championship Round (@ChampRDS)
August 16, 2024
Dricus du Plessis certainly has a knack for evoking emotions.
The allegations first came to light in January of this year when du Plessis rubbed off on his opponent at a pre-fight press conference before winning the title against Sean Strickland at UFC 297. “Stillknocks” touched on the sensitive topic of Strickland’s abusive childhood, leading to the then-champion threatening to stab du Plessis.
Du Plessis is scheduled to defend his title against former champion Israel Adesanya at UFC 305 in Perth, Australia. The two have long been at odds over who is the true African champion. Du Plessis, who lives and trains in South Africa, claims to be the resident UFC champion in Africa, but Adesanya accuses du Plessis of being privileged, unlike other fighters who have been forced to leave African countries in search of better conditions.
During his pre-fight press conference, Adesanya said he would visit his native Nigeria as part of a world tour if he won the belt. Du Plessis interrupted Adesanya to ask if he was bringing servants, referencing an old ESPN interview in which “The Last Stylebender” admitted to growing up with servants. Adesanya was initially excited, but when the camera returned to him, the champion was seen in tears, saying he had “touched on a topic.”
As for the tears that erupted from opponents the day before the match, du Plessis claims it was their way of dealing with bullies.
UFC 305: du Plessis vs. Adesanya airs Saturday at 10pm ET on ESPN+. Order now! “I said, I will never be bullied,” the South African told Daniel Cormier. “If the bullies who want to bully and be tough take their medicine, the bullies will stop… I’m not a disrespectful person, I know that for a fact and I’ll never be told otherwise. If you’re respectful of me, I’ll always be respectful. If you try to threaten my life or make any kind of threat against me, I’m not going to tolerate that… And I think I might be a problem. Obviously, it’s
[two for two]I intend to follow that path and take full responsibility.”
But this time, du Plessis believes Adesanya’s tears are down to the former champion himself.
“He thinks in his own head, but he thinks in his own head more than I think in his head,” he said. Full Send MMA In another interview, he said, “I think I just said the right things, and I think I just said the wrong things. It depends on the angle you look at it from. For me it’s business, so I wasn’t emotional at all.” [felt] After the press conference, just like before… no [regrets]I take it as a 10-7 guy. I have absolutely no regrets.”
