Israel Adesanya says ground gesture was to show Dricus du Plessis he tripped, not to mimic Max Holloway

Israel Adesanya was unsuccessful in his attempt to reclaim the middleweight title, losing to Dricus du Plessis via fourth-round submission in the main event of UFC 305. 'The Last Stylebender' recently discussed his gesture to the ground, making it clear that he was not attempting to mimic Max Holloway's iconic UFC 300 knockout of Justin Gaethje.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, the two-time middleweight champion noted that the commentary booth got it wrong when claiming that was the case before adding:

"I was moving and then my right ankle rolled and I tripped as he was throwing... What I said to him was like, 'I tripped, you didn't rock me.' I didn't want him to think he rocked me or anything, but again, in hindsight, I think that moment, he used that as a moment to just capitalize so then he just closed the distance on me straight away."

Adesanya continued:

"I lost focus in that moment just because I was like, 'Nah, I tripped, the floor tripped me.' Because you see my ankle rolled as I fell and I was like, 'I don't think I was rocked.' But again, a fight is such a blur [that] you're like, 'Am I lying to myself? Did I get rocked and I don't remember or did I get flashed?' But I watched the tape back and I was like, 'Nah...' I tripped and I pointed to the ground like, 'Nah...' And then he just swarmed me."

Check out Israel Adesanya's comments on his gesture below:

Adesanya added that he was unable to peel his opponent's hands as du Plessis went for a gable grip and ultimately got a finish. It marked the first submission loss of his mixed martial arts career.

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Israel Adesanya is unsure of when he will return

Israel Adesanya spent nearly a year inactive prior to UFC 305, the longest break of his combat sports career. He recently revealed that while he physically feels ready to fight, he is unsure when he will return to the octagon.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, 'The Last Stylebender' stated:

"Like I said, enjoy me while I'm here. Enjoy me while I fight. I started to watch the fight and literally, I was like, f**k, I could go again. I was like, f**k, I could go again. I still feel good. I'm like, literally, bro, I could fight this weekend. Don't have to even make weight, I could fight this weekend, but I'm like, 'Hmm, eh, we'll see.' I just want to get back to the gym, get training again and then we'll reset, regroup and yeah, we'll see."

Check out Israel Adesanya's comments on his return to the octagon below:

Adesanya's return will likely mark his first time competing outside of a title bout in over five years. His last 12 fights have come with the belt on the line, with his last non-title bout coming when he defeated Anderson Silva via unanimous decision at UFC 234 in February 2019.