Disheartened and heartbroken owing to his defeat to middleweight champion, Dricus du Plessis, Israel Adesanya was seen taking off his gloves in what seemed to be a retirement call. However, ‘The Last Stylebender’ instead hinted at a stronger comeback, and now bantamweight king, Sean O’Malley has dropped his thoughts on it in the aftermath of UFC 305.
Divulging his thoughts on the ‘TimboSuga’ show the Montana native weighed in his thoughts and lauded the former middleweight champion for his warrior spirit and fighter mindset. In fact, O’Malley was certain that the defeat would not define Adesanya, and he insisted that the Kiwi would be back, saying,
“I’m sure, he’s going to deal with a little bit of depression maybe but he seems like he is good with his mind, he can bounce back.”
Though ‘Suga’ is almost certain that the Kiwi is bound for some retrospection after the back-to-back title fight losses – first the decision loss to Sean Strickland and then the recent R4 submission loss to Dricus du Plessis, he is also certain that Izzy has the ability to bounce back. Well, O’Malley is spot on with his take on this one. Adesanya is more than capable of returning to his former glory, as losses have never stopped him from chasing his aspirations.
However, this time, the road to another title fight will be harder and more gruesome given the stacked middleweight division and the surge of rising challengers. Besides, Uncle Dana has already named Strickland as the next in line for the title and the next crack for Izzy will be longer than usual at this point, especially after the back-to-back losses.
Meanwhile, the middleweight champion, du Plessis presented Adesanya “a token of appreciation” after their war at UFC 305; showing his gratitude to the Kiwi for pushing the best out of him.
du Plessis presents Adesanya a jacket after UFC 305 as a token of appreciation
Last Saturday’s main-event duel for the middleweight throne was indeed a back-and-forth battle until the Proteas dug deep and drowned Adesanya with a rear naked choke. Round 1 was all du Plessis but once Izzy found his range and rhythm, the momentum shifted towards him and he started landing at his own will. It almost felt like, Adesanya was going to reclaim his lost throne but the South African stood his ground and caught the former champ with a looping shot that momentarily rocked him.
Seeing the opportunity, he then rushed in unloading more punches until Izzy was on the canvas and that’s when he took the Kiwi’s back to submit him in round 4. Interestingly, after the bout, the bad blood between the two seemingly died down and the South African gifted his rival the jacket he had brought for him. Sharing his thoughts on the post-fight presser, he said,
“To give him that jacket was a reminder, a token of appreciation and a thank you for this. It’s a memory for me. It’s such a massive moment in my life fighting a great fighter like Israel Adesanya.
Dricus Du Plessis and Israel Adesanya share an incredible backstage moment after #UFC305 and embrace each other families. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/Dsu7btTZyV
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) August 18, 2024
In his own words, du Plessis considers fighting a renowned champion like Adesanya an honor. Though he doesn’t value Adesanya on a personal level, the blood spilled and their war last week has prompted him to respect the Kiwi as a martial artist. Thus presenting him with a jacket was a kind gesture from the champion’s end.
Let us know your thoughts in the comments and also share your predictions for the next Sean Strickland vs Dricus du Plessis rematch.
