diff --git a/proxy/src/main/java/com/velocitypowered/proxy/connection/backend/VelocityServerConnection.java b/proxy/src/main/java/com/velocitypowered/proxy/connection/backend/VelocityServerConnection.java
index c7fc697d8..0eae3f0c8 100644
--- a/proxy/src/main/java/com/velocitypowered/proxy/connection/backend/VelocityServerConnection.java
+++ b/proxy/src/main/java/com/velocitypowered/proxy/connection/backend/VelocityServerConnection.java
@@ -93,7 +93,6 @@ public class VelocityServerConnection implements MinecraftConnectionAssociation,
         .addListener((ChannelFutureListener) future -> {
           if (future.isSuccess()) {
             connection = new MinecraftConnection(future.channel(), server);
-            connection.setState(StateRegistry.HANDSHAKE);
             connection.setAssociation(VelocityServerConnection.this);
             future.channel().pipeline().addLast(HANDLER, connection);
 
diff --git a/proxy/src/main/java/com/velocitypowered/proxy/network/ServerChannelInitializer.java b/proxy/src/main/java/com/velocitypowered/proxy/network/ServerChannelInitializer.java
index f4083e311..b71aa01e2 100644
--- a/proxy/src/main/java/com/velocitypowered/proxy/network/ServerChannelInitializer.java
+++ b/proxy/src/main/java/com/velocitypowered/proxy/network/ServerChannelInitializer.java
@@ -48,7 +48,6 @@ public class ServerChannelInitializer extends ChannelInitializer<Channel> {
         .addLast(MINECRAFT_ENCODER, new MinecraftEncoder(ProtocolUtils.Direction.CLIENTBOUND));
 
     final MinecraftConnection connection = new MinecraftConnection(ch, this.server);
-    connection.setState(StateRegistry.HANDSHAKE);
     connection.setSessionHandler(new HandshakeSessionHandler(connection, this.server));
     ch.pipeline().addLast(Connections.HANDLER, connection);
 
diff --git a/proxy/src/main/java/com/velocitypowered/proxy/server/VelocityRegisteredServer.java b/proxy/src/main/java/com/velocitypowered/proxy/server/VelocityRegisteredServer.java
index 431c6e742..c0109467e 100644
--- a/proxy/src/main/java/com/velocitypowered/proxy/server/VelocityRegisteredServer.java
+++ b/proxy/src/main/java/com/velocitypowered/proxy/server/VelocityRegisteredServer.java
@@ -78,9 +78,7 @@ public class VelocityRegisteredServer implements RegisteredServer {
                 .addLast(MINECRAFT_ENCODER,
                     new MinecraftEncoder(ProtocolUtils.Direction.SERVERBOUND));
 
-            MinecraftConnection connection = new MinecraftConnection(ch, server);
-            connection.setState(StateRegistry.HANDSHAKE);
-            ch.pipeline().addLast(HANDLER, connection);
+            ch.pipeline().addLast(HANDLER, new MinecraftConnection(ch, server));
           }
         })
         .connect(serverInfo.getAddress())