PERTH, Australia – Jon Anik doesn’t put too much stock into Israel Adesanya getting emotional during the UFC 305 pre-fight press conference.
Dricus Du Plessis(21-2 MMA, 7-0 UFC) got under Adesanya’s (24-3 MMA, 13-3 UFC) skin during Thursday’s press conference when he suggested that Adesanya has servants. Adesanya broke down into tears when going off in response.
Anik was in the middle of it all as he hosted the press conference between the two rivals.
“This feud is real,” Anik told MMA Junkie. “And even though our fighter meeting with Dricus Du Plessis was largely rooted in him just showering buckets of respect upon Israel Adesanya’s legacy and everything that he’s accomplished, the backdrop to this one is definitely friction and heat, and for a lot of MMA fans, that’s the best of backdrops. So, we’re very excited to call this f*cking thing here in a few hours.”
Anik says Adesanya looked as composed as ever during fighter meetings. “The Stylebender” returns from an 11-month hiatus to challenge middleweight champion Du Plessis in Saturday’s UFC 305 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) main event at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia.
So despite Du Plessis’ words triggering Adesanya, Anik doesn’t see it as an alarming sign.
“I do think he has this inexorable attachment to his family and his roots, and they were all right there,” Anik said. “I didn’t cry much in my 30’s, but I’ve made up for lost time in my 40’s. So, I do think that it’s not something that I would lean too heavily into.
I also think that he’s getting ready for a weight cut so, there are a lot of different things that maybe could have triggered it, but perhaps with other athletes I would levy some concern, but not in this case.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 305.
