In the heart of Auckland, a towering tribute to Kiwi MMA icon Israel Adesanya has emerged, courtesy of renowned street artist Owen Dippie. Video / Owen Dippie / Carson Bluck
Israel Adesanya doesn’t pull any punches when reflecting on his most recent performance.
Last September, the two-time UFC middleweight champion lost his belt in a lopsided decision to American Sean Strickland in a display uncharacteristic of Adesanya’s abilities.
On Sunday at UFC 305 in Perth, Adesanya will return to action for the first time since that loss when he takes on the division’s current champion, Dricus du Plessis.
It’s a title shot some have argued that Adesanya didn’t deserve given his second reign as champion was ended by Strickland without a single defence – despite his well-established legacy since joining the UFC.
For Adesanya, the noise simply comes with the territory.
“My last fight was atrocious for myself. I was not happy with that fight. [To] the fans, the media, you’re only as good as your last fight – they keep all these sayings that don’t really make sense anymore,” he said.
“You’re only as good as your last fight. I don’t get it, but at the same time I’m like, OK. For me this weekend, I want to do what I have to do, and when I do it people will be like ‘f*** how did we not see this coming? How did we underestimate that he was going to do this?’
The bout will be Adesanya’s 12th UFC title fight in a row, dating back to his successful bid to claim the interim middleweight belt against Kelvin Gastelum in Atlanta in April 2019.
Adesanya and du Plessis went face-to-face at a press conference to promote the Perth event last month, and Adesanya (24-3; 13-3 UFC) said his opponent (21-2; 7-0 UFC) would have learned a little bit about him during their intense stare down.
“He tried to puffer fish me and realised pretty quickly I’m not someone you can just blow smoke at. He felt my energy and he understands. He knows who he’s dealing with now.
“That moment right there, he got to look into my eyes and see who I am. I don’t know what brought it on but it’s just deja vu. I’ve been here before, I’ve battled with the best. No one can intimidate me and he definitely won’t do that.”
The matchup with du Plessis is one that has been on his radar for the better part of the last two years. The South African was the targeted opponent for Adesanya’s defence last September, but was unavailable due to injury.
Dricus du Plessis and Israel Adesanya will clash for the UFC middleweight title on Sunday in Perth. Photo / Getty Images
The UFC also looked to book a bout between the two for UFC 300 in April this year – du Plessis telling the Herald last month that he was approached about that potential date the day after he dethroned Strickland in January‚ and that it was pretty clear to him that he wasn’t going to be able to make that date.
They will finally meet in Perth on Sunday, though Adesanya said his plans had begun being put into place for the bout long before it was even announced.
“I’m sure they’re working hard as well to try and set traps. This is the game we play. I like these games. Even coach versus coach. I’m sure they like it as well, let’s see who has a better game plan, let’s see who has the better strategy,” Adesanya said.
“There are traps that have been set and there are traps that will be set, but then sometimes we just have to f***in’ fight, and we’re going to fight this weekend.”
Adesanya will be in familiar company leading into the fight, with teammates from Auckland’s City Kickboxing gym Dan Hooker and Kai Kara-France also fighting on the card against top-10 ranked opposition, flanked by a big contingent of supporters from the gym.
The trio will be in the last three fights of the event, with Adesanya and du Plessis the headline act.
“It’s nice. When you bleed together in the training, you sweat together in training, then it’s time to go to war, we’re brothers in the trenches,” Adesanya said.
“People get it twisted. They think ‘oh Israel’s got the entourage’ but no. These are moments in history that the people who helped me get ready need to see in real life, so we bring a lot of them with us to experience these moments.
“Whoever’s on our team, whoever you see us running with, they’re all integral parts of our team. It’s not just there for looks or show. When we go to war, we hold the f***in’ line.”
Follow the Herald’s live updates of UFC 305 from 2pm on Sunday.
Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.
