Israel Adesanya and Dricus Du Plessis set for first heated clash at UFC 305

The biggest UFC match of the year is almost here.

UFC 305 News: Sean Strickland Reacts to Dricus Du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya

Israel Adesanya will once again challenge for the middleweight title when he takes on champion Dricus Du Plessis in the main event of UFC 305 on August 17.

Tickets for the event are now on sale and to celebrate, the UFC hosted an “On Sale” press conference for the event on July 3. The press conference saw Adesanya and Du Plessis come together for their first official showdown, a heated display that saw the fighters battle it out for over a minute.

Watch the full press conference below, courtesy of UFC on YouTube.

UFC News: ‘Hurt’ Robert Whittaker Brutally Honest About Dricus Du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya

Tempers always flared between Adesanya and Du Plessis, as they taunted each other with comments about their ethnicity. Du Plessis, a South African-born, and Adesanya, a Nigerian-born Kiwi, had frequent verbal spats over who was the rightful African fighter/champion. It was an ugly, racially fueled rivalry with plenty of steam.

The drama reached a fever pitch during the conclusion of Du Plessis’ UFC 290 win over Robert Whittaker, when Adesanya stormed into the Octagon and blasted his rival with racial slurs. But in MMA, things don’t always go as planned. Adesanya lost his belt to Sean Strickland, who then lost it to Du Plessis at UFC 297. Now, the two fiery middleweights will get a chance to settle the feud in Perth, Australia, in August.

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