Israel Adesanya bumping into Dricus du Plessis in resurfaced sparring footage breaks the internet [VIDEO]

Israel Adesanya and Dricus du Plessis share an intense rivalry, however, UFC 290 wasn't the sole instance when these adversaries crossed paths.

Following du Plessis' victory over Robert Whittaker in September, the then-UFC middleweight champion stormed into the octagon and unleashed profanity-laden insults toward 'Stillknocks'.

The roots of their heated confrontation trace back to their shared history, with du Plessis once challenging and instigating 'The Last Stylebender' by claiming that he aims to become the first African-based UFC champion. While Adesanya is Nigerian-born, he trains out of New Zealand.

Recently, a video from 2016 has been making rounds on X, shared by the user Home of Fight. The footage showcases reigning featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski engaging in a sparring session with du Plessis at Thailand's Tiger Muay Thai training facility.

Notably, what adds intrigue to the video is a particular moment where the South African fighter accidentally collided with 'The Last Stylebender'. Despite the incident, they continued their training without any further escalation.

Check out the video below:

Fans responded to the video clip with a diverse range of reactions.

One fan wrote:

"Mannnn that’s crazy… wild to see how things can age"

Another wrote:

"Getting pieced up by a 45er is crazy"

Check out some more reactions below:

"Wow the fact that Izzy and Dricus bumped into eachother in this clip is poetic"

"Keep in mind, this was when Dricus was still fighting at 170..."

Credits: @Home_of_Fight on X

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Alex Pereira signals shift in focus, moving past Israel Adesanya trilogy

Alex Pereira recently indicated that he might be considering leaving the rivalry with Israel Adesanya in the past.

Following his triumph over Jiri Prochazka with a second-round knockout and seizing the UFC light heavyweight title at UFC 295 in November, 'Poatan' promptly challenged Adesanya to a trilogy fight.

Across four encounters in combat sports, Pereira emerged victorious over Adesanya twice in kickboxing, while their clashes in the UFC octagon led to one win for each fighter. Overall, Pereira is 3-1 against Adesanya.

Pereira secured the middleweight championship with a victory over 'The Last Stylebender' at UFC 281 in November 2022 but later lost the title in a rematch at UFC 287. Although a third encounter could potentially conclude their rivalry, but Adesanya is presently on hiatus, a decision he made after losing the title to Sean Strickland at UFC 293.

In a recent Q&A session conducted by Ares FC (via MMA Fighting), the reigning 205-pound champion mentioned that if Adesanya continues to choose to stay away from competition, he is ready to move forward.

Check out Alex Pereira's comments below: