PERTH, Australia – [autotag]Jon Anik[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Dricus Du Plessis[/autotag] is a natural when it comes to mental warfare.
That was evident at Thursday’s UFC 305 pre-fight press conference, when Du Plessis’ trash talk triggered an emotional response from opponent Israel Adesanya.
Du Plessis (21-2 MMA, 7-0 UFC) defends his middleweight title against Adesanya (24-3 MMA, 13-3 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC 305 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) main event at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia.
Du Plessis now has managed to get under the skin of his past two opponents in Sean Strickland and Adesanya in the lead-up to their fights, and Anik compared his trash talk to [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag]’s.
“Not unlike Conor McGregor, there’s nothing really scripted,” Anik told MMA Junkie of Du Plessis. “Certainly there is pre-thought, but he’s just orating naturally and he is effectively getting under the skin of high-level, elite opponents that maybe shouldn’t be taking that sort of bait.
“I just sort of waxed poetic on Israel Adesanya – Dricus Du Plessis is the f*cking man, right – to watch what this guy has done in his UFC career and just methodically go about his business/ I think when you’re sort of a man of truth as he is, you’re very comfortable in your own skin. I don’t think that he has really emoted too much when it comes to this fight, and I think as far as Dricus’ methodology and his mentality is concerned, that’s a great thing.”
“Come on guys stop crying at the press conferences it’s not that serious
.”
Come on guys stop crying at the press conferences it’s not that serious 🤣
— Dricus Du Plessis (@dricusduplessis) August 16, 2024
If Du Plessis gets past Adesanya, he will have already put together an impressive resume at middleweight in the UFC. Anik isn’t ready to call him a middleweight great just yet if he’s successful, but would see him on track.
“I think it’s a little bit too early to go there, but it certainly wasn’t lost on Dricus that he could have back-to-back wins over Robert Whittaker, Sean Strickland and Israel Adesanya, which would just be an absolutely incredible feat,” Anik said. “He’s also a guy that hasn’t tasted defeat in the UFC, and has stayed true to every fiber in his bone while doing it.
“Those are conversations that I think really wouldn’t open after a first title defense even given the strength of schedule, but he’s doing some special things. He’s got an entire nation behind him, and he’s got a big test here obviously come Sunday morning.”
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 305.