Israel Adesanya and Dricus du Plessis appear to have squashed their beef following their UFC 305 title clash. The pair were seen sharing words, as well as an embrace, in the octagon following the South African's fourth-round submission win.
The issues between the pair stemmed from Du Plessis' comments made after entering the UFC in 2020, where he stated that he hoped to become the first "real African UFC champion."
His statement was taken as a slight against Adesanya, Francis Ngannou and Kamaru Usman, whom all held UFC titles at the time.
There was plenty of emotion in the build-up to their title fight, with 'The Last Stylebender' coming to tears during the press conference while talking about his family.
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Following the UFC 305 main event, one specific part of Du Plessis' interaction with Adesanya caught fans' attention. In an attempt to reference the viral story of 'Stillknocks' kissing his corner team on the lips, the former champion kissed his hand and then touched the South African's mouth.
Watch Israel Adesanya and Dricus du Plessis' interaction below:
Fans were left somewhat speechless by the embrace shared by the middleweight duo, with @gamechanger0510 writing:
"I swear to God after Izzy kissed his hand and put it on his lips and they hugged, I thought DDP talked him into kissing him on the lips."
![Screenshots of fan reactions to Israel Adesanya and Dricus du Plessis' embrace after UFC 305](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/08/3d16e-17239869589922-1920.jpg?w=190 190w, https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/08/3d16e-17239869589922-1920.jpg?w=720 720w, https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/08/3d16e-17239869589922-1920.jpg?w=640 640w, https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/08/3d16e-17239869589922-1920.jpg?w=1045 1045w, https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/08/3d16e-17239869589922-1920.jpg?w=1200 1200w, https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/08/3d16e-17239869589922-1920.jpg?w=1460 1460w, https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/08/3d16e-17239869589922-1920.jpg?w=1600 1600w, https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/08/3d16e-17239869589922-1920.jpg 1920w)
Israel Adesanya reflects on loss to Dricus du Plessis at UFC 305
Israel Adesanya was submitted for the first time in his career against Dricus du Plessis when they clashed at UFC 305.
After suffering a surprising defeat to Sean Strickland in his previous bout at UFC 293, Adesanya announced he would be stepping away from fighting for the foreseeable future.
A rejuvinated former champion then returned against 'Stillknocks', with the pair headlining an exciting night of fights in Perth, Australia.
'The Last Stylebender' appeared in front of the media following his defeat to Du Plessis, where he said:
"I don't think I was rocked, I think I slipped and I was like, 'What the f**k was that?' He was trying to catch me as I was exiting... I felt great, he didn't really surprise me. I knew he was tough, but again, the strength wasn't what I thought it was. I also got stronger."
Watch Israel Adesanya reflect on submission defeat below (0:22):