UFC 305: Du Plessis vs Adesanya, scheduled on 18th August 2024, at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia is upon us. The Middleweight title will be on the line at UFC 305 with Israel “The Stylebender” Adesanya, the two-time UFC Middleweight Champ taking on the current Champion, Dricus “Stillknocks” Du Plessis in the Main event on Sunday.
This will be Du Plessis’ first title defence after winning the belt in a controversial Split-Decision victory against Sean Strickland in January this year. Israel Adesanya on the other hand, will be making a comeback from his loss to Sean Strickland in September 2023, where he lost the belt to the American fighter.
There has been a lot of bad blood between the two fighters of African descent leading up to the fight. The Nigerian fighter even cried during the press conference before the fight after Du Plessis passed some comments about Adesanya’s “story”. Izzy is now the second fighter who has cried in the lead-up to the fight against Dricus Du Plessis.
Dricus Du Plessis has been a clear winner in the verbal and psychological fight before UFC 305 without a doubt. During the face-off between the two, Adesanya pointed at the belt and said, “I have missed this, I will miss this, but when I aim between your eyes I will not F***ing miss.”
Du Plessis vs Adesanya Prediction:
Both fighters have absolutely wonderful CVs. Du Plessis is coming off a win against Robert Whittaker and Sean Strickland. In Adesanya’s last 3 fights, he has fought Alex Pereira twice, and Strickland once, winning only one of those 3 fights. One has to say that from the perspective of who has better momentum, it’s most definitely the South African.
But Israel Adesanya is a whole different proposition than anyone that Dricus has ever faced. Izzy’s striking capabilities are simply out of this world owing to his long history in Kickboxing. The Main Event can easily go either way, but Dricus will only stand a chance if this fight goes the distance. It feels unlikely that Du Plessis would opt for finishing off Adesanya since attacking Izzy means that you give him the chance to counter.
The Stylebender’s focus will be to keep the fight on the feet and not engage in grappling much since that’s one area where Dricus can really make Adesanya pay. The 185-pounders will surely provide fans with a very high-octane fight that can honestly swing either way.
But the 35-year-old Izzy looks in much better shape compared to the last time he fought in the Octagon. And his kickboxing ability might just prove to be too much for Du Plessis handing him the win at UFC 305, declaring him the “African Champ”, a moniker that has frequently been used in the lead-up to this fight.
