Israel Adesanya in tears at UFC 305 press conference ahead of title clash in Perth
An emotional Israel Adesanya was brought to tears during the UFC 305 press conference in Perth, in what was a heated media gathering ahead his clash with middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis.
The bad blood was evident between the two headliners but what came as more of a surprise was the vulnerability of the former champ leading into arguably the biggest bout of his career in the promotion.
When Adesanya was asked if the press conference and the build up was what he imagined, the Nigerian born star broke down.
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"He hit a touchy subject there because I do this for my family and for the people I love," Adesanya said while pointing to his family in the crowd.
Adesanya gets emotional over his family. Kayo
"I am a f------ human being. I am a man. I can cry and whoop your ass at the same time.
"I feel the love from the crowd. The first time I fought here (in Perth) was February in 2018. That was me making my dreams come true. Sunday, I'm going to kill your dreams b----."
Adesanya made his UFC debut back in 2018 on the UFC 221 card in Perth and was the crowd favourite during the at times tense press conference.
Adesanya has taken issue with the South African champ labelling himself as the first "real" African champion, a legitimate claim Du Plessis claims, because he was born and still resides in his country of birth.
Adesanya, moved to New Zealand when he was ten, and labelled du Plessis' comments as disrespectful to the likes of himself, Kamaru Usman and Francis Ngannou – three Africans who all became UFC champions after moving abroad.
Israel Adesanya never afraid to show how he truly feels. Kayo
Things were tame to begin with but then Adesanya erupted when he was asked if he'll take the belt back to Nigeria if he wins.
"On Tuesday, I'm going back to Nigeria, I think Friday I'm going to South Africa and then I'm back to New Zealand," Adesanya said.
"I'm a child of the earth."
