SUMMARY
- Israel Adesanya took up golf and even practiced skydiving while he was away from the UFC.
- The former middleweight champion remembers Dricus du Plessis' comments on the former African champions in the UFC.
Israel Adesanya had a long break from the UFC and he’s scheduled to make a full-fledged return during the 305 fight card on August 18. The former middleweight champion has already wiped out most of the division besides the reigning title holder Dricus du Plessis and a few others. Adesanya last fought against Sean Strickland nearly 10 months ago and lost the title to him.
Since then, Izzy has spent a lot of time reassessing his style of living from making changes to his diet and daily routines to focusing on treating his body well. And for a fighter of his caliber, it is vital to do the right things for health and longevity in the sport. Adesanya recently faced off against “Stillknocks” during a UFC 305 On-Sale Press Conference.
Israel Adesanya has picked up a new skill
While Israel Adesanya spent some time away from fighting, he took the opportunity to pick up new hobbies. The 34-year-old claimed that he began playing golf even though he wasn’t truly a big fan of it. He said, “Yeah, I took up golf. Something different. Cause bro, I never ever thought if you told me two years [I would] love golf… what? It’s stupid. But it’s something different from my day to day. Every day is a hard grind. And golfing is a way for me to get in nature.”
He added, “This summer was my way of getting outside… I just took up golf, skydived a couple of times, you know adrenaline… I need that. Still worked [to] help my teammates, traveled. But it’s been good to just live life as Izzy rather than as a style bender… it’s been nice.” Adesanya has also been frequently posting on YouTube where he shares a bunch of predictions and his reactions to fights in real time.
Dricus du Plessis addresses the tension between him and Izzy
While he was away, Israel Adesanya certainly did not forget the comments that triggered the rivalry between Dricus and himself. The current champion once discredited Adesanya, and two former champions Kamaru Usman and Francis Ngannou as Africans. Izzy took major offense to it and even addressed it during the press conference.
Did Israel Adesanya and Dricus du Plessis just have the longest faceoff in UFC history? 😭😭#UFC305 #UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/A44iifeW4m
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) July 3, 2024
Dricus responded to what Izzy mentioned, “As far as discrediting, [I have] never discredited anybody. [Just] stating facts… Frankly, I don’t really care how it rubbed him off the wrong way… I’m glad you took up golf because that’s a retirement sport.” This UFC 305 main event will be backed by fights involving Kai Kara-France and Steve Erceg as well as Bam Bam Tai Tuivasa and Jairzinho Rozenstruik.