"I just lost my sh*t" - Israel Adesanya breaks silence on 'turning' heel ahead of infamous Dricus Du Plessis face-off

Israel Adesanya's actions at UFC 290 garnered a strong rebuke from the MMA community, particularly his fiery faceoff with Dricus du Plessis following the South African's stunning victory over Robert Whittaker.

While du Plessis shocked everyone with the second-round TKO victory, his faceoff and heated exchange with Adesanya inside the octagon became the talk of the internet.

The Adesanya-du Plessis rivalry revolves around the notion set forth by 'Stillknocks' about his aspiration to be the first real African champion.

According to du Plessis, unlike Adesanya and other African champions who sought quality MMA training in other countries, he still trains and lives in Africa, which qualifies him to be a true African champion.

Meanwhile, Israel Adesanya, who has faced and defeated top competition in the middleweight division, relished facing a fresh challenge in du Plessis following his victory at UFC 290. He called upon 'divine intervention' and 'manifested' this opportunity into reality.

The rivalry reached a boiling point at the UFC 290 post-fight octagon interview. Adesanya used racial slurs and got in du Plessis' face, fueling an explosive feud between the fighters.

Speaking about his actions on his YouTube channel and potentially turning "heel" for the fight, Adesanya stated:

"He [du Plessis] worked hard. I manifest for myself and I make sure I do the work to get that manifestation right... Even at the prep time [before going inside the octagon], I was giving him [du Plessis] energy, like positive affirmations. But yeah, when it happened, I just lost my sh*t."

Adesanya added that while some people view his actions as "cringy", he looks at the positive side, stating that he drives an emotive response from them:

"After my last fight [against Alex Pereira], people say that it's the best post-fight interview ever. I grabbed the mic after his [du Plessis] fight and people feel like it's cringe... Either way, I make you feel something. Whether you love me or hate me, you feel something... People say I turned heel. It's not heel, I can just feel myself switch and the beast comes out."

Catch Israel Adesanya's comments below (4:15):

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Israel Adesanya charts the future of African fighters in the UFC; includes Dricus du Plessis' name

In the realm of the UFC, three African kings once reigned supreme. Israel Adesanya, Francis Ngannou, and Kamaru Usman helped pave the way for a generation of fighters and solidified their legacies as great representatives of African sports and culture in the UFC.

While Usman dropped his title to Leon Edwards and Francis Ngannou has parted ways with the UFC to pursue lucrative offers outside the organization, Israel Adesanya remains the only reigning champion from the lot.

Speaking about other African fighters who have impressed him and the future of African MMA in the aforementioned interview, Adesanya stated (10:00):

"I feel like it will be done again in the future and there will be more than three [African champions]. African MMA is rising now. You have guys like myself, Francis, Kamaru, Themba [Gorimbo], and Dricus... What we are doing right now will rise African MMA."