Israel Adesanya Tears Up Following ‘Servant’ Comments at UFC 305 Conference With Dricus du Plessis

At the news conference for UFC 305 on Friday, August 16, Israel Adesanya cried after sharing heated comments with his opponent, Dricus du Plessis.

During the press conference for the fight, which will take place in Perth, Australia on Saturday, the pair did the usual trash talk before du Plessis hit a nerve and caused his opponent to shed a tear. "Are you taking the servants with you when you’re going back [to Africa with the belt]? Are you taking the servants with you if you’re going back?" he said.

Per the BBC, the joke was an apparent reference to a recent interview in which Adesanya admitted he had maids when he was growing up. "Bro, shut the fuck up, you don't know anything about my story," he responded. "My father, myself, had to wake up at 4am and clean the banks while my mum studied to be a nurse. ... Don't fucking speak on my story if you don't know my story."

Moments later, Adesanya was seen with a tear going down his face as he got emotional. "He touched a subject there because I do it for my family, I do it for the people I love. I will fight for you forever, I swear to god," he said. "Look, I am a human being, I am a man. I can cry and whoop your ass at the same time."

The two fighters have been at each other's throats ever since du Plessis suggested he could become the first African UFC champion because he trains in his native South Africa, unlike other high-ranking UFC fighters from the continent.

They were originally set to face off last year, but due to their respective schedules not lining up, Adesanya instead fought Sean Strickland at UFC 297.