Israel Adesanya is ready to settle the score with Dricus Du Plessis! The former UFC middleweight champion has been on a hiatus since his stunning upset loss to Sean Strickland at UFC 293 in 2023. In an interview with the New Zealand radio show, ‘The Rock FM’ after the fight, Adesanya stated, “Now I’m going to take time to look after myself, and I’m not going to fight for a long time.” He had also confessed that the pressures of training at an elite level had taken a toll on his body which prompted the decision to take time away from competition.

However, with the announcement of the UFC 305 clash between him and current champion, ‘Stillknocks’, it appears that ‘The Last Stylebender’ is raring to get back into the Octagon. In a series of posts on social media, Adesanya has taken shots at his upcoming opponent by referencing their previous feud over the title of the “real African Champion” in the UFC.

Israel Adesanya re-ignites feud with Dricus Du Plessis

In a cryptic post on X, Israel Adesanya captioned a video that highlighted his feud with Dricus Du Plessis, “They not like us.” The clip began with Du Plessis stating in a post-fight interview, “I want be the first real African champ.” It then cut to Adesanya explaining the origins of the ‘beef’ as he stated, “After he talks sh*t on the mic saying he wants to be the first “real African champion” when the reporter asked him, he doubled down. He started that. I never questioned him as an African, he is an African, I never questioned that at all.”

‘The Last Stylebender’ then explained that if Du Plessis had just paid respect to ‘The Three Kings’ era of the UFC when Kamaru Usman, Francis Ngannou and Israel Adesanya were all African champion in the promotion, there wouldn’t have been a feud. However, he further went on to reveal that, “Me, Kamaru, and Francis took those belts back home, so the fact that he decided to divide pi**ed me off.”

In another post shared on his Instagram story, Adesanya emphasized his massive influence over the MMA sphere as he posted what appeared to be song lyrics that state, “He said sumn’. No one gave a f**k. I say sumn’, they make announcements. The king has spoken,” over a picture of the UFC 305 announcement.

This could be a reference to ‘Stillknocks’ recent interview where he’d confessed that he had agreed to the Adesanya fight but the fight wasn’t considered official until ‘The Last Stylebender’ announced it himself, or that’s what he was hoping to highlight with his Instagram story Nevertheless, with the UFC 305 clash now confirmed, Israel Adesanya recently also revealed the changes to his training approach and a new mindset that he is ready to unleash on the middleweight division once he steps into the cage.

‘The Last Stylebender’ puts the middleweight division alert  

In a recent video shared on his YouTube channel, ‘FREESTYLEBENDER’, Israel Adesanya pulled back the curtain on his new strength and conditioning program and also shared a new mindset that he hopes to carry into the Octagon when he returns after almost a year away from the competition.

The former middleweight king stated in the video, “People are like, ‘Oh, I hope you get the belt back, I hope you get the belt back,’ I have belts. I don’t need any more belts. I’m coming for heads. That’s what I want to do. Just a few that I have to touch, and take”, emphasizing his focus on domination rather than merely reclaiming his title.

He also shared that he is taking a more conscious and measured approach in his training camp as he went on to state, “…right now it’s just the time for training, chilling, working, relaxing, healing. And then when it’s time, time for killing.” As the fight date approaches, fans eagerly anticipate Israel Adesanya’s return and the resolution of his feud with Dricus Du Plessis as this bout promises to be a high-stakes showdown with something more than just the title on the line for both men.

Do you think Israel Adesanya can reclaim his throne from Dricus Du Plessis? And what are your thoughts on ‘The Last Stylebender’s social media antics? Share in the comments below.