“At the end of the day it all comes down to how much you enjoy this life. As a fighter, if you're not enjoying the sport, if you're not passionate about the sport, you're playing the wrong game,” du Plessis said. Herald.
“If he's doing it for financial gain, he's achieved that goal. And if he's doing it to make history, his legacy is already set. What he's achieved in the sport is already set.”
“I believe that Israel Adesanya's biggest goal was not to be the strongest, but to beat Alex Pereira. And when he beat Alex Pereira, that was the final moment of his entire career. I believe that was the pinnacle of his fighting career.”
Adesanya (24-3 MMA, 13-3 UFC) and du Plessis (21-2 MMA, 7-0 UFC) will face off for the middleweight title in the main event of UFC 305 on Aug. 18 in Perth. Adesanya will be looking to become the first fighter in UFC history to win three consecutive middleweight titles, while du Plessis will be making his first successful title defense.
Both fighters held a press conference in Perth earlier this month to promote the fight and ticket sales, but when it came down to it, neither gave an inch.
While the move usually only lasts a matter of seconds, the two fighters were locked in a standoff and, despite efforts by UFC Australia and New Zealand vice president Peter Kloczko to stop them, they eventually left the stage after staring each other down for over a minute.
Du Plessis, who won the title with a split decision victory over Sean Strickland in Toronto in January, felt the training had revealed a change in Adesanya.
“I've studied this man for a long time and I think there has been an attitude change throughout his personality,” du Plessis said.
“You could say it's a maturity in his career. He's been through everything. The press conferences, the media buzz, everything surrounding the fight just doesn't excite him anymore.”
“But at the end of the day, I feel like it's a loss for everybody. If I stop getting excited about this, that's dangerous territory, because I'm fighting a guy inside me who is excited about every aspect of this fight.”
“I have a fire inside me. Everything about this game excites me. Everything about this game gets me pumped. It's what gets me up every morning, it gives me energy. [in] The last round just motivates me to try a little harder, to push myself a little harder.
“I think that's going to be the biggest difference in our fight and it's going to be evident on fight night.”
UFC 305
RAC Arena, Perth. Sunday, August 18th.
Christopher Rave He joined the Herald's sports team in 2017 and brings as much versatility to his reporting as he does to his sports viewing habits.
