Dricus du Plessis shares hilarious reaction to Israel Adesanya crying at UFC 305 pre-fight presser

Dricus du Plessis did what he does best at the UFC 305 pre-fight press conference: get under his opponent's skin. In response to it, the South African champion took to X/Twitter to poke fun at Israel Adesanya and Sean Strickland for crying at press conferences.

Both men engaged the middleweight titleholder in heated and emotionally charged trash talk, culminating in du Plessis bringing up sore spots from their respective childhoods. In Adesanya's case, du Plessis referenced the fact that 'The Last Stylebender' had servants who bathed him as a child.

His comment drove his opponent to tears, but du Plessis found Adesanya's crying humorous while also taking a dig at Strickland.

"Come on guys stop crying at the press conferences it's not that serious"

A deeply personal feud has defined the buildup to the pair's UFC 305 middleweight title fight. The animosity between the two men first began prior to du Plessis' championship ascension, when Adesanya still reigned as the king of the 185-pound division.

When asked about becoming the fourth UFC champion from Africa, du Plessis distinguished himself from not only Adesanya but also the UFC welterweight and heavyweight champions at the time, Kamaru Usman and Francis Ngannou. He claimed that he would be a true representative of African MMA.

Du Plessis' reasoning revolved around the fact that he was born in South Africa, his family has been there for generations, and he both lives and trains in South Africa. He vowed to be the first fighter to bring a UFC belt back to an African gym, a promise he fulfilled at UFC 297.

Adesanya took issue with his comments, and neither man has been on good terms with the other since.

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Dricus du Plessis did the same to Sean Strickland at the UFC 297 pre-fight press conference

At the UFC 297 pre-fight press conference, Dricus du Plessis brought up Sean Strickland's childhood to a similar effect, promising that the beating he would give Strickland come fight night would dwarf the physical abuse the latter suffered at the hands of his abusive father.

The comment enraged Strickland, who lashed out at du Plessis, even verbally admitting that his foe had hit a nerve. He subsequently broke down on an episode of Theo Von's podcast, shedding tears due to his unresolved childhood trauma.