In the middle of a furious battle inside the Octagon, there can also be moments of calm. Israel Adesanya recently pulled back the curtain on an unexpected pause of understanding between him and Dricus Du Plessis. At UFC 305, the pair clashed for the middleweight title held by ‘Stillknocks’, and after a heated build-up that also involved what it truly means to be an ‘African champion’, the two left it all in the cage.

Going to war in 4 rounds of action, ‘The Last Stylebender’ got caught in a submission and lost the fight. But during his appearance on the JRE (Joe Rogan Experience), he confessed that even the fiercest warriors need a moment to catch their breath sometimes!

Israel Adesanya makes a startling confession about a moment of mutual respect with Dricus Du Plessis  

During his appearance on the JRE MMA Show no. 164, Israel Adesanya was asked by Rogan if he was “feeling fatigued in the last round with Dricus?” during their UFC 305 clash. Adesanya, reflecting on his grueling struggle with Du Plessis, opened up about the mental and physical toll of the fight.

He shared, “I don’t think so. There was one point in the third round where me and him we really put it on and we kinda had this like low-key agreement like, you’re f*ked, I’m f*ked, let’s chill for a little bit.” Could two fierce rivals really share a moment of mutual exhaustion in the heat of battle? It may seem unlikely but in a sport where even a split-second pause can mean victory or defeat, this rare moment of mutual respect shows just how intense the battle was.

But that moment of respite didn’t last long. Adesanya further stated, “And then I think Round 4 I came out like cool, bam,  bam,  bam and I did the sprawl on him but again he’s so stubborn. Coz I sprawl on him, I literally… he shot, I sprawled and my hips hit the back of his head into the mat. Might’ve rocked him, I don’t know”

As ‘The Last Stylebender’ continued his story, he shared that Marc Goddard, the referee, instructed Du Plessis to get back to his feet. But in that moment, Du Plessis wasn’t done. Slowly rising, he threw punches—not with the intent to land but to halt Adesanya’s momentum. Du Plessis, battered but unyielding, proved to Adesanya that he wasn’t going down easily as the former champion admitted, “And yeah, he’s a guy that… just strong will, strong will… I can respect that.”

It was this will to never give up that led to Du Plessis securing the submission that won him the fight and the first successful defense of his 185 lbs. crown. So, what does the future hold for Israel Adesanya? His loss to Du Plessis may have been a setback, but according to a recent interview, it’s clear that ‘The Last Stylebender’ hasn’t lost his passion for the game!

Adesanya is seemingly unaffected by loss to ‘Stillknocks’ as he confesses his desire to fight soon  

Israel Adesanya has never been one to sit still. After a year-long hiatus, he faced Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 305. The outcome? A fourth-round submission that didn’t go his way. That defeat marked Adesanya’s second consecutive loss, with three out of his last four fights ending in disappointment. Yet, none of this seems to weigh him down.

Speaking on ‘The Adam Carolla Show’, the former middleweight king shared, “For me, I’ll let them call me out, or whatever. At the moment, I want to fight one more time before the end of this year, or early next year. But I don’t know yet. I’m just training, building off where we left off, and I’ll get the call at some point with a few options.”

What about his loss to ‘Stillknocks’? Adesanya confessed that he might have made a mistake that his opponent capitalized on as he further stated, “I did something and I slipped. And then I pointed to the ground and was like, ‘It wasn’t you, it was the ground,’ and in that moment, I shouldn’t have pointed to the ground. … He jumped on that.”

As such, it’s clear Adesanya won’t let his recent losses define him. His desire to fight again—whether it’s by the end of the year or early next—is stronger than ever. The UFC middleweight division is a shark tank, and Adesanya is ready to dive back in. But the question remains, what’s next for ‘The Last Stylebender’? Will he climb the ladder towards title glory yet again or are we witnessing a new chapter in his storied career? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!