‘F***, I can’t get it off’: Adesanya’s big reveal before emotional backstage approach with rival

Israel Adesanya has spoken of the moment Dricus du Plessis landed the choke that ended his hyped title comeback, revealing he thought immediately: “F***, I can’t get it off”.

It comes as the UFC superstar also laughed off suggestions he could be set to retire — after having now lost three of his past four title fights – and then, somewhat surprisingly, insisted one of the sport’s greatest rivalries is now over.

“Until,” he grinned, “we meet again”.

After almost a year out of the sport, Adesanya’s historic push to become a three-time world champion has been thwarted after being submitted by UFC middleweight champ Dricus du Plessis.

The end came in the fourth round of a compelling fight where, Adesanya conceded afterwards, “I was winning until I wasn’t”.

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Du Plessis finished proceedings with a rear naked choke, which now gives him wins over the division’s three biggest names – Adesanya, Sean Strickland and Australia’s Robert Whittaker.

Adesanya also joked that the finish had seen him create history as he had not only never been submitted before, but “never lost two in a row.”

“But I’m not f***ing leaving,” he stressed, “until I want to leave”.

Despite the headliner having arrived after a year of bad blood between the pair, Adesanya declared afterwards that DDP was indeed “an African champion”.

Immediately after finishing up his press conference inside RAC Arena, the New Zealander was also approached by DDP, who then gifted him a jacket presented to him by Springboks Siya Kolisi.

Adesanya’s parents also spoke warmly with the fighter who, only days earlier, had brought their son to tears during an emotional press conference.

When asked afterwards if he was desperate to get the fight back, given the heated build between the two, Adesanya suggested their beef had been largely squashed inside the cage.

“I’m not really desperate to get it back,” he said.

“He gave me a lot of respect in there, and I gave him his respect back.

“I already knew he was a fan of me, but I guess now I’m a fan of his too because we’ve been in there and done it.

“And when I’m in South Africa I will tap in with him.

“I said ‘look we can hang out, but when I have to fight you again, I’m going to kill you’ …

“He said ‘I’m going to kill you too’.

“So the respect is there … Dricus is an African champion.”

And as for that moment in the fourth where Adesanya went to the ground and, soon after, was submitted.

“I’ll have to watch it again because I don’t think I was rocked,” he stressed. “I think I slipped and went ‘what the f*** was that?’

“Then he was trying to catch me as I was exiting.

“So I can’t remember how he took me down because everything is still a blur, it happened only 20, 30 minutes ago.”

But as for the finish?

“I tried to fight the top hand, don’t know what mistake I made,” he continued.

“I tried to turn into him.

“Then he got on my back because I was using the fence.

“He switched to a gable grip and I wasn’t able to separate the hands like I wanted to.”

Soon after, the New Zealander added: “I was fighting the top hand, he switched to the gable grip and f*** I couldn’t get it off”.

Adesanya also stressed he had no desire to retire, despite suggestions it initially appeared he was taking his gloves off to place them in the Octagon over losing.

“People read too much into s***,” he laughed.

“Life is fleeting, who knows what happens.

“Any one of us in this room could go tomorrow.

“I only took the gloves off because they were tight after the fight. He’s got a strong head man.

“I hit him with some strong shots so my hands were, not broken, not even close, but just a little bit sore.

“But nothing about retiring.

“I’m not f***ing leaving until I want to leave”.

Elsewhere, Adesanya also revealed he had weighed 91.5kg when entering the Octagon on Sunday afternoon – or three kilos heavier than for previous fights.

When being quizzed about the champ’s strength, the Aucklander started: “He didn’t really surprise me because I knew he was tough.

“His strength isn’t what I thought it was because I got stronger.

“When I checked my weight today I was heavier by three kilos.

“Normally I come in on fight night at 89kg but then today I was 91.5kg.

“I felt strong.

“The momentum was there and I felt like I was winning the fight.

“I hurt him a few times to the body and I felt like my shot was coming because he kept on – I won’t say too much – but he kept on reacting when I hurt his body.

“But again, tough dude. Strong spirit.

“So I won’t say I’m disappointed in myself.

“I’m proud of the way I carried myself this camp.

“The way I came in ready.

“It just sucks to lose.”

Asked about a fight that, at times, saw both men trading, nose to nose, Adesanya grinned: “When you get in the pen with the pig and you wrestle, he can take you to his level and beat you with experience.

“But I told you, I can get muddy too.

“And I was getting muddy.

“There was some techniques in there.

“I hurt him to the body three times. I could hear it, I could feel it.

“And that’s when I knew my shot was coming.

“Just chipping away listening to my corner.

“But it just got away from me …”

Adesanya also questioned if he should have done more early, saying his rival eventually became “predictable”.

“He hits hard but his leg kicks didn’t really do any damage,” he said of the champ.

“But they were hard.

“I should’ve caught him early, maybe.

“I was hitting him with some leg kicks, maybe I should’ve done more.

“Jabs, I felt good.

“My cardio was on.

“I could feel he was getting tired but again, strong mindset.

“Strong spirit.

“He didn’t want to go away.

“I pushed him back, he pushed me back but he became predictable so I was able to escape and put it on him.

“But I felt like I still made history tonight … (laughs) never lost two in a row.”