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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Dricus du Plessis and Israel Adesanya kept thing somewhat respectful throughout the early stages of UFC 305 fight week. That changed in a hurry at Friday’s press conference.

In an emotional scene that saw a furious Adesanya break out into tears, the two middleweights erupted in an explosive back-and-forth over the same “true African champion” debate that initially ignited their rivalry. After Adesanya responded in the affirmative to a question about whether he’d take the belt back to Africa if he dethrones du Plessis, the champ jumped into the fray with a swipe at Adesanya’s childhood, referencing a 2020 ESPN feature in which Adesanya recalled not learning how to bathe himself until age 8 “when he insisted he no longer needed the aid of the family’s domestic servants.”

“Are you taking the servants with you when you’re going back [to Africa with the belt]? Are you taking the servants with you if you’re going back?” du Plessis asked.

“What the f*ck are you even on about?” Adesanya responded.

“My God, it’s obviously a see and tell. We can see that. What do you mean? You’re saying that I made [the build-up to UFC 305] about culture?” du Plessis said.

“Bro, shut the f*ck up. You don’t even know anything about my story. You have no idea who the f*ck I am,” Adesanya shot back.

“I don’t care about your story. I don’t care about your story,” du Plessis repeated.

“Listen, my father and myself had to wake up at 4 a.m. and clean the banks while my mom studies to be a nurse,” Adesanya said. “You don’t know my f*cking story. Don’t f*cking speak on my story if you don’t know my story. I will show you who you are Sunday, so right now shut the f*ck up.”

“I can’t wait,” du Plessis responded. “You’re talking about, I made [the build-up] about anything else than being the first residing African champ. I am the first.”

“You did, you did,” Adesanya said. “You couldn’t even respect the people of the land. [At the] welcome to the country [ceremony for UFC 305], you were the one not even doing anything. I took my shoes off to connect with the people, with the [natives]. What did you do? You stand there and try to mean mug me. Are you stupid?”

“My man,” du Plessis started.

“I’m not your f*cking man, bitch,” Adesanya interrupted. “… You sound silly, you sound like a f*cking pig. I will slay you, Porky Pig.”

“You can’t change the facts,” du Plessis replied. “You can’t change those facts.”

Du Plessis, 30, and Adesanya, 35, have feuded since the South African du Plessus declared in March 2023 that he wanted to be the first true African UFC champion, reasoning that he still resides and trains in Africa whereas then-champs Adesanya, Kamaru Usman, and Francis Ngannou — all Africa-born — ultimately moved away before finding success.

Adesanya took exception to du Plessis’ remarks and the rivalry has only grown more fervent in the 16 months since. That tension finally boiled over for the former champ.

“He touched a subject there because I do this for my family,” a tearful Adesanya said, his voice breaking. “I do this for the people I love, and I will fight for you forever, I swear to God. Watch this. Look, I am a f*cking human being, I am a man. I can cry and whoop your ass at the same time.

“First time I fought here [in Perth], [UFC] 221, that was February 2018, that was me making me dreams come true. Sunday, I’m going to f*cking kill your dreams, bitch. I’m going to f*cking kill your dreams.”

Du Plessis captured the UFC middleweight title in January with a split decision win over Sean Strickland at UFC 297. The first South African champion in promotional history, du Plessis holds a perfect 7-0 record in the octagon, earning stoppage wins over the likes of Robert Whittaker, Darren Till, and Derek Brunson, among others.

Adesanya is a two-time former UFC middleweight champion. “The Last Stylebender” was expected to defend the belt against du Plessis in late 2023, but du Plessis was unable to make the date and Adesanya instead fought Strickland, losing in a shocking and one-sided upset. Adesanya’s 12-fight win streak at 185 pounds to kick off his UFC career was the second-longest streak in UFC middleweight history, second only to MMA legend Anderson Silva, however his 11-month layoff since the Strickland loss is the longest of his career.

Du Plessis initially opened as a betting underdog in the grudge match, although those odds have continued to narrow as UFC 305 draws near. For the champ, that’s a telling sign.

“There’s no place for odds in the octagon, I have to say that, but obviously the oddsmakers are seeing what I know and seeing what the people are seeing,” du Plessis said. “It’s pretty evident. Like I said, the man needs to be motivated to be back here. He had an emotional feel to be back here. He said it, he’s motivated by me, that’s what gets him back in here.

“I’m motivated by greatness. I’m not motivated by some person. If he doesn’t step in, I’ll be the same motivated fighter that steps in there, and anybody can see this. Once again, it’s about how bad do you want it. It’s pretty evident how bad I want this. And on Sunday morning, there will be no doubt of how bad I wanted this.”

UFC 305 takes place August 18 at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia.

Watch the fiery exchange between du Plessis and Adesanya above.

MMA Fighting – All Posts

Invincible
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UFC

Bringing you the weird and wild from the world of MMA each and every weeknight!

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

UFC CEO Dana White still doesn’t expect Conor McGregor to return in 2024, but he won’t rule it out completely.

A couple days ago, White dropped an unfortunate update on McGregor’s much-anticipated UFC comeback, explaining that he would not be returning this year after his pinky toe derailed a scheduled July clash versus Michael Chandler. Seeing as McGregor’s injury was relatively minor, it was a surprise that the delay would be so long, and there have been some strong reactions.

McGregor himself, for example, was upset! He took to Twitter to argue his case and demand a December booking. His would-be opponent, Michael Chandler, is still unconvinced that the fight is off, though he did offer up one replacement option. McGregor also reached out to White directly, which resulted in at least a mild walk back of his former comments.

White elaborated further on the McGregor negotiations and explained, “You can imagine after I said that, Conor was blowing me up, going ‘I’ll definitely fight this year!’ When we get to a point where we’re setting a fight, and I believe that a Conor McGregor fight is going to happen, I will announce it. As of right now, I believe that Conor will not fight this year.

“Conor saying he wants to fight in December? We’ll see how it plays out.”

White’s quote isn’t confidence-inspiring, but at least it’s slightly more optimistic than the previous update?

Insomnia

Colby Covington is hitting a new low with whatever the f—k this nonsense is.

Dana getting told to his face that Power Slap is monotonous is long overdue.

Heavyweight action coming to an Apex near you!

Dricus Du Plessis puts in a formal request that Israel Adesanya stops being weird, which I don’t think is possible!

On a more classy note: “DDP” showing respect to Israel Adesanya’s coach and talking about those 2014 training sessions.

It’s been a really long time since Stipe Miocic won a fight.

Slips, rips, and KO clips

Carlos Prates is here to kick ass and rip cigs.

Surgical destruction of the lead leg makes for a great high kick setup.

Elbow war!

Random Land

This dog’s face is the funniest thing I’ve seen in weeks (don’t get mad at me in the comments, it’s a bit!).

Midnight Music: Alternative, 1995

Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.

MMAmania.com – All Posts

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

At the UFC 305 press conference, a plethora of fighters from Saturday’s pay-per-view event will take the stage Friday morning.

Dricus du Plessis, Israel Adesanya, Kai Kara-France, Steve Erceg, Mateusz Gamrot, Dan Hooker, Tai Tuivasa, and Jairzinho Rozenstruik are expected to attend the event at the RAC Arena.

The UFC 305 press conference is scheduled to begin at 4 a.m. ET.

MMA Fighting – All Posts

Following claims this week from former undisputed UFC middleweight champion, Sean Strickland which accused prominent mixed martial arts manager, Tiki Ghosn of engaging in inappropriate relationships, which included the assault of a woman on numerous occasions, as well as both encouraging and accepting sexual favors, the former claims more victims have come forward.

Strickland, the current number one ranked middleweight challenger, most recently featured on the main card of UFC 302 earlier this year in New Jersey, landing a unanimous decision win over Paulo Costa – which has since earned him a rematch with the victor of this weekend’s UFC 305 title fight between former foes, Dricus du Plessis, and Israel Adesanya.

However, earlier this week, the outspoken Strickland came forward – accusing the previously mentioned, Ghosn of assaulting a female fighter on numerous occasions, having spoken with the alleged victim’s father.

“So, Tiki, what I say to you is, if you want to sue me for slander, defamation – I’m not slandering you, I’m not making this up,” Sean Strickland said in a video released, claiming he had spoken to the alleged victim’s father. “This is what was told to me by the girl’s father. If you want to sue me, I will crowd fund this, and we will go to court, and I will fight you.”

Sean Strickland levels further accusations against Tiki Ghosn

However, while Ghosn has yet to comment on the accusations levelled against him, Strickland has now claimed further victims have spoken to him regarding the manger’s alleged misconduct.

“I have received a couple messages from girls who are very credible,” Sean Strickland posted on his official X account. “Really bad… Worse than I thought. If they want to stay in the shadows, I will respect that. But I am going to ask if I can share their messages with the UFC. Tiki, you don’t deserve the life you have.”

LowKickMMA.com

We’re deep into UFC 305 fight week, meaning it’s time for the top fighters set to be in action on August 17 to take to the stage and answer some questions.

The MMA leader’s latest numbered event takes place at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia, where the main attraction of the promotion’s trip Down Under will see UFC Middleweight Champion Dricus Du Plessis put his belt on the line in a grudge match against Israel Adesanya.

Setting the stage for the headliners will be Perth’s own Steve Erceg and Adesanya’s fellow City Kickboxing standout Kai Kara-France. The former will look to bounce back from his narrow title defeat to Alexandre Pantoja in Brazil this past May, while his Kiwi opponent returns over a year on from a setback opposite Amir Albazi last time out.

Also of note on the main card is the chance for Dan Hooker to return to the lightweight title picture against top-five contender Mateusz Gamrot, a likely guaranteed knockout when Tai Tuivasa and Jairzinho Rozenstruik collide, and the comeback of “The Leech” Li Jingliang.

As is customary during major fight weeks, the athletes will take to the stage on Friday afternoon local time for the pre-fight press conference. The UFC 305 edition sees the final eight fighters set to be in action with mic in hand.

Check out a live stream of the presser below via the UFC’s official YouTube channel, commencing at 4 AM ET.

UFC 305 Pre-Fight Press Conference Live Stream

Continue Reading UFC 305 Press Conference Live Stream: Featuring Dricus Du Plessis, Israel Adesanya, Dan Hooker, Tai Tuivasa, & More (4 AM ET) at MMA News.

MMA News

After months of worrying reports, Khabib Nurmagomedov can go back to enjoying his retirement after settling his debt with the Russian tax service.

The Dagestani has left a flawless legacy in the sport of mixed martial arts and will forever be remembered as one of the greatest to ever do it. Despite being loved by millions, ‘The Eagle’ almost tarnished his name in his home country due to alleged tax evasion.

$ 3.4 million was the reported amount owed to the tax authorities by Khabib Nurmagomedov. Thankfully, that period of uncertainty is over as Khabib was been declared debt free by Telegram outlet SHOT.

Amid the confusion of his large amount of debt, the 35-year-old had almost $ 1 million worth of cars seized — alongside his bank accounts — by the Russian government. 

Though nothing was confirmed, reports claimed that in order to clear his debts, the head of the Nurmagomedov clan would return to the UFC. And when he was spotted back with his former coach Javier Mendez, speculation began to pile up, though that now looks like an improbability.

Related: Conor McGregor vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov intense video footage surfaces

Other rumors hinted at Khabib possibly leaving Russia for good. The global star was thought to have fled his home and was contemplating becoming a UAE citizen.

While that no longer needs to be the case, there’s one place that the combat sports icon is always welcome. According to the man himself, Donald Trump is a huge fan of the former UFC champion, announcing him as his favorite fighter earlier this month.

The feeling is mutual between the two, as Khabib Nurmagomedov was snapped sharing words with Donald Trump at a recent UFC event. Khabib made a plea to the former US President and believes he is the only man who is powerful enough to step in and stop the ongoing war between Israel and Palestine.

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