Dricus du Plessis Doubts Israel Adesanya’s Trash Talk and Height Claims Ahead of UFC 305 Showdown.

As the highly anticipated UFC 305 event draws near, the tension between Dricus du Plessis and Israel Adesanya is at an all-time high.

The South African middleweight champion, du Plessis, is set to defend his title for the first time against former champion Adesanya at RAC Arena in Perth.

With a rivalry that has been brewing for over a year, du Plessis is confident that Adesanya will avoid engaging in any verbal confrontations, knowing he “behaved like a fool” and lost their first encounter.

In a recent interview with Fox Sports Australia, du Plessis expressed his belief that Adesanya won’t attempt to rattle him with trash talk during the fight build-up. Reflecting on their previous encounter after UFC 290, where Adesanya launched into an expletive-laden rant following du Plessis’ victory over Robert Whittaker, the South African champion remains unfazed. He pointed out that Adesanya likely recognized his emotional outburst as a mistake and won’t repeat it.

“I don’t behave emotionally because I’m in control of what I do,” du Plessis stated. “There’s nothing he (Adesanya) can ever say that would get me angry or upset. When you start behaving emotionally like that, it’s a loss.”

The rivalry between du Plessis and Adesanya began when du Plessis declared his goal of becoming the “first real African champion,” a statement that sparked controversy and drew ire from Adesanya, who was born in Nigeria. Despite the backlash, du Plessis stands by his words, emphasizing that his intention was never to discredit Adesanya but to highlight his own aspirations.

“Would I have worded it differently if I had my time over? No,” du Plessis asserted. “I would’ve done it exactly the same. Because it’s the truth. People make the mistake of thinking I said that to steal shine or discredit, not at all. It’s all about my own goal; being the first residing African champion.”

Du Plessis clarified that his comments were specific and deliberate, dismissing any misinterpretation as irrelevant. “Maybe he did try to take something out of it that wasn’t there but that’s none of my concern,” he added.

Beyond the verbal exchanges, du Plessis has also called into question Adesanya’s listed height of 193cm (6’4”). When the two fighters squared off in July, fans noted that the height difference was not as significant as expected, leading du Plessis to suspect that Adesanya may have been wearing shoes with chunky soles to appear taller.

“There’s no way Adesanya is as tall as his billed height,” du Plessis remarked. “When we faced off in July I thought to myself, ‘wow, the height difference is actually a lot less’. It’s funny because on the UFC website you have Adesanya, Jon Jones, and Alex Pereira all listed as being the same height. But that’s definitely not true.”

The South African champion, who stands at 6’1”, remains skeptical of Adesanya’s claimed height and believes the difference is exaggerated.

As UFC 305 approaches, the rivalry between Dricus du Plessis and Israel Adesanya continues to heat up. With du Plessis confident in his ability to stay composed and focused, and questioning both Adesanya’s trash talk and physical stature, the stage is set for an explosive showdown in Perth. Fans around the world are eagerly awaiting the clash between these two middleweight titans, and only time will tell who will emerge victorious.