UFC 305: Middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis, Israel Adesanya trade barbs in tense press conference

Middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis says he’s willing to die and kill someone to walk away with his belt as he prepares for an emotional grudge match against Israel Adesanya at UFC 305.

du Plessis (21-2) was heavily booed by the Perth crowd at the press conference on Friday afternoon, but was unfazed by the reception in hostile territory.

The two have made it clear they don’t like one another and traded insults in an intense half an hour, with Adesanya (24-3) taking the intensity up a notch when he said “f... the belt, I’m coming for your head”.

du Plessis upset Adesanya when he made a comment about servant, leading to a volatile response from the challenger.

“My father and myself had to wake up at 4am to clean the banks while my mother studies to be a nurse,” Adesanya hit back.

“You don’t know my f…ing story.

“I will show you who you are Sunday, so right now shut the f… up.”

Adesanya was brought to tears when talking about his his family before telling du Plessis he was going to kill his dreams.

“I do this for my family. I do this for the people who I love, and I will fight for you forever. I swear to god,” Adesanya said as he pointed at his parents.

“I’m a f…ing human being. I’m a man, I can cry and whoop your a.. at the same time.

“I feel the love for the crowd. The first time I fought he that was (UFC) 221, that was February 2018. That was making my dream come true. Sunday I’m going to f…ing kill your dreams, b…..”

It came after du Plessis revealed the extent he was will to go to keep his title in his first defence.

“I don’t need extra motivation to do this. I have the same motivation that I had when I won the belt, the same motivation I had when I made my debut and the same motivation right now as a champion,” du Plessis said.

“At the end of the day I don’t come in here as somebody who needs to change anything because I have the belt. I’m not going to defend my belt, I’m going to keep on fighting like I never had that belt.

“The belt is given to the winner at the end of that fight, so for that time while the fight is happening that’s nobody’s belt and I’m willing to die and take a life for this belt.”