Adesanya lost his middleweight title to Sean Strickland in one of the biggest title fight upsets in UFC history last year at UFC 293.
Whilst the challenger had a great night in general, the defining moment of the fight was when he caught and dropped “The Last Stylebender” in the first round but was unable to get the finish.
This came as such a shock to many fans who felt like Strickland simply wouldn’t be on the same level as the champion, when it came to the striking exchanges.
Dricus Du Plessis Says He Would’ve Finished Israel Adesanya With The Same Strike
Dricus Du Plessis is much more of a power striker than Strickland, who he defeated earlier this year to become the middleweight champion.
Whilst the former champ may be very accurate and defensively sound, “Stillknocks” has the momentum and force to stop any opponent and that gives him confidence ahead of August 17.
Du Plessis believes that he can close the show on Adesanya in their heated grudge match in Perth, especially if he’s able to land something similar to the strike Strickland landed last year.
He spoke in a recent interview with mainevent on Fox Sports about how “The Last Stylebender” wouldn’t have made it out of the first round if it was him in there that night.
“If I land that shot that Sean Strickland landed, the fight is over right there, 100%. We know that Strickland’s not a power puncher. I’ve felt, and Strickland’s a great boxer, his boxing is really really good. Very awkward and amazing jab, he throws that 1-2 and he does it great but he doesn’t have that starch power and he put him down. I honestly thought the fight was over but if I catch him with that shot then it’s over.”
While the aftermath of the July 27 card is currently the talk of the town, it won’t be long until focus sways to the next PPV, and from the welterweight title picture to the 185-pound championship conversation.
There will also be high stakes and Oceanic interest in the co-headliner, as former flyweight title challengers Kai Kara-France and Steve Erceg collide in the latter’s home city in pursuit of staking their claim for a shot at Alexandre Pantoja’s belt down the line.
Hooker, Tuivasa, ‘The Leech’ Set The Stage For Title Headliner At UFC 305
Before Du Plessis defends his championship in Adesanya’s home continent and the City Kickboxing standout’s teammate “Don’t Blink” makes his comeback, a number of other high-profile names will take to the Octagon looking to make the most of their position on the major card.
Prior to that, Australia’s own Tai Tuivasa will look to bring his patented post-knockout shoey celebration back to the Octagon for the first time since his victory over Derrick Lewis in February 2022. That result marked “Bam Bam’s” fifth straight win and left him at #3 in the heavyweight rankings, but he’s since lost four in a row, the most recent of which came against Marcin Tybura at the Apex this past March. The same month saw his next opponent, Jairzinho Rozenstruik, return to winning ways at the expense of Shamil Gaziev.
And opening the main card is the return of Li Jingliang, who hasn’t made the walk since a controversial defeat to Daniel Rodriguez in their short-notice 180-pound catchweight contest at UFC 279 in September 2022.
See below for the full UFC 305 card, as it stands.
Main Card:
Dricus Du Plessis (C) vs. Israel Adesanya (middleweight championship main event)
Kai Kara-France vs. Steve Erceg (flyweight co-main event)
Mateusz Gamrot vs. Dan Hooker (lightweight)
Tai Tuivasa vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik (heavyweight)
Li Jingliang vs. Carlos Prates (welterweight)
Preliminary Card:
Junior Tafa vs. Valter Walker (heavyweight)
Joshua Culibao vs. Ricardo Ramos (featherweight)
Casey O’Neill vs. Luana Santos (women’s flyweight)
Edwards has made it clear that he has big goals in mind for his title reign at 170-pounds where he hopes to break the great Georges St-Pierre’s records.
Though he has no plans to permanently leave welterweight at any point soon, “Rocky” also hopes to challenge himself at middleweight at some stage.
With several top names sitting at the top of the division, it could be a very different landscape at 185-pounds by the time Edwards makes his move.
Dave Lovell Picks Out Sean Strickland & Dricus Du Plessis As Potential Middleweight Fights For Leon Edwards
In a recent interview with Submission Radio, Edwards’ head coach Dave Lovell was asked to give his opinion on who the middleweight champion will be when his fighter attempts to become a two-weight world champion.
Israel Adesanya is set to challenge for the title that he has held twice before when he faces Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 305 next month but Lovell doesn’t believe that “The Last Stylebender” will be around for much longer.
Edwards’ friendship with Adesanya makes a fight between them incredibly unlikely anyway but the Team Renegade captain doesn’t see this coming to pass.
He believes that either the current holder or the man he won the title from, could be Edwards’ middleweight opponent.
“I don’t think Israel [Adesanya] because in all fairness, I love him and Israel is my brother but I think he’s coming to the twilight of his career now. and if I was him, if he fights Dricus, maybe win the title, defend it once or even just win that title and retire because he’s earned enough, he’s got nothing more to prove. I wouldn’t like to see Leon fight Israel because we’re all close that way, we’re all friends so I wouldn’t like to see that.
“Dricus maybe if Dricus is still hanging around. I think the easiest, well I take that back, one of the fights that I think would be a good fight for Leon to showcase his skills against a man, Mr Strickland, who’s a kind of come forward kind of style fighter which would suit Leon.
It would appear that UFC Middleweight Champion Dricus Du Plessis’ entire team has been reaping the benefits of his title crowning.
Du Plessis completed his rise to glory in mixed martial arts’ premier promotion as an undefeated fighter inside the Octagon this past January in Canada, where he headlined the UFC 297 pay-per-view in competition for Sean Strickland’s belt.
In addition to achieving his own title ambitions, Du Plessis became the first South African to bring UFC gold back to his nation. And that fact has evidently encouraged his teammates to raise their game now that they have the chance to share a gym with the 185-pound kingpin…
Du Plessis: Team CIT Has Found ‘Another Level’ After UFC Title Win
During an interview with Fox West Texas, Du Plessis spoke about how he’s been enjoying life as a champion thus far.
After noting that his crowning in Toronto earlier this year has only increased his personal drive for more success on mixed martial arts’ biggest stage, “Stillknocks” pointed to the positive impact it’s also had on his team as a whole.
“It’s been great. It’s been everything that I expected, everything that I hoped for, and better,” Du Plessis said. “And training-wise, once I got that belt, I got a fire under me. A lot of people might think once you win that belt, you lose some of that hunger. I always said it, becoming UFC champion is not my end goal, not at all. … There’s a new hunger. There’s that championship hunger because now I’m defending my throne, and I’ll do anything to defend that throne.
“In training, the team, everybody’s stepped it up because now they’re going up against the world champion. Everybody wants to land a shot on the world champion,” Du Plessis continued. “If you can give the world champ a hard time, you’re not far off getting that big shot. My team’s amazing. The coaches, everybody’s stepped it up. Everybody realized, we are now world champions and we should behave as such when it comes to training, recovering. … Just another level.”
Khamzat Chimaev burst onto the scene by winning two UFC fights in different weight divisions within 10 days. However, the hype train that began in 2020 has derailed a bit due to his inconsistency.
Despite defeating credible opponents like Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns, “Borz” has yet to fight for the title at welterweight or middleweight. He was scheduled to take on Robert Whittaker at UFC Fight Night Saudi Arabia last month, and winning the bout would have most likely solidified his first title shot.
Unfortunately, illness once again struck the Chechen star, forcing him to withdraw on late notice. Despite that, though, Chimaev still recently called for a title shot upon his return.
Michael Bisping recently reviewed Chimaev’s career and dismissed any chances of a championship fight next. However, the former UFC champ did reveal the one way through which the prospect can fight the winner of Dricus Du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya.
Bisping Explains How Chimaev Can Pass Strickland, Whittaker For UFC Middleweight Title Shot
Bisping discussed Chimaev’s demands for a title shot upon his return on his official YouTube channel. Although “The Count” praised the Russian fighter for dominating Usman and being explosive in the Octagon, he highlighted that it isn’t enough for him to pass Whittaker and ex-middleweight king Sean Strickland in the title race.
Bisping also pointed out Chimaev’s inconsistency and how the UFC hasn’t been in proper touch with him. He fought four times in 2020 to gain a ton of hype in MMA circles but has only fought thrice since then. “Borz” has pulled out of bouts several times due to illness or other reasons, which has naturally hurt his brand.
“So, there’s no judgment against him for that, but the reality is for Khamzat Chimaev, the man doesn’t fight too frequently. Had one fight in 2023, two in 2022, and one in 2021. So, that’s an issue for the UFC and, certainly lately, he’s kind of been, I don’t want to say unreliable, but he’s pulled out a couple of times, okay?”
Having said that, the former UFC middleweight champ is certain that Chimaev is still one fight away from getting a chance at gold. At the numbered event in Abu Dhabi this October, Bisping believes he should aim to secure a rescheduled clash with the #3-ranked Whittaker.
Chimaev’s high-pace style slowed him down in the later rounds against Burns and Usman. For Bisping, a three-round battle with “Bobby Knuckles” at UFC 308 would be favorable because the Australian might have the edge in a five-round battle, as they were set for in Riyadh.
“The man is something special. Of course, the cardio issues as the fights get longer. That is the big question, can he do that over five rounds? But Robert Whittaker, if he fought in Abu Dhabi, that would only be three rounds. And that would actually help Khamzat Chimaev.”
“The Count” believes that a win over Whittaker would also allow Chimaev to pass Strickland for a title opportunity due to recency.
“Rebooking Robert ‘The Reaper’ Whittaker. The fight we all wanted to see, the fight that made sense, and the fight that would, I’ll be honest, set up the next number one contender. And that’s a shame for Sean Strickland.”
The build-up to UFC 305 is sure to be an interesting experience for Dricus Du Plessis, given the tension that surrounds his first title defense.
Despite them both trading comments for a year now, it still feels like the rivalry between the champion and his challenger, Israel Adesanya, is yet to hit fever pitch.
Du Plessis, however, doesn’t see the war of words as anything other than giving back the same energy that he receives from opponents.
He was asked about dealing a ’10-8′ scorecard to Israel Adesanya during their recent verbal exchange, in an interview with the Hack Check Podcast. The South African said that he’s always ready to bite back if others think they can push him around.
“If you were coming at me, listen, I will never ever be bullied or pushed around. It’s not going to happen so I’m always good to go. If you treat me with respect, if we make it about the fight only, that’s the way I’m going to handle it. I mean, look at myself and Whittaker, look at myself and even Darren Till, he was chilled when we were at a presser. Every single guy that I fought before this, it wasn’t necessary because even look at Strickland, I was respectful and it wasn’t the trash talking at all up until he tried to bully me with the mic. That’s not gonna happen and that’s exactly what happened there [against Israel Adesanya].”
Dricus Du Plessis Predicts That Israel Adesanya Will Retire After UFC 305
Despite the fact that both men clearly do not see eye-to-eye on some subjects, Du Plessis has given Adesanya his dues for the career that he has had.
The champion is confident that he is steps ahead of the returning Adesanya at this point but that doesn’t mean he feels the need to discredit “The Last Stylebender”.
He once again gave Adesanya props for what he has achieved and said that he has “earned” his retirement if he fails to reclaim the middleweight title.
“Yes. I don’t give it a lot of thought because it doesn’t really matter to me. It’s irrelevant to me but yes probably. But, like I said, it’s not really something I think about and it’s irrelevant to me. Yeah, I mean, the guy’s done it all in the sport. He’s had, to say a great career would be almost underselling. He’s had one of the greatest careers ever so he’s earned it and it’ll be a great time [to retire him].”
A former training partner of Du Plessis’ who is one of the most recognizable names in ONE Championship believes that the champion will be more than a tough test for the returning Adesanya…
Aung La N Sang Points Out Advantages For Dricus Du Plessis Against Israel Adesanya
Aung La N Sang has been one of the poster athletes for ONE Championship for eight years now, having previously reigned as a simultaneous two-weight world champion.
The former middleweight and light heavyweight king, who is set to return on September 6 in Denver, trains out of Kill Cliff FC in Florida, where Du Plessis has also trained in the past.
In a recent interview with The AllStar, “The Burmese Python” weighed in with his thoughts on this fight, speaking about where the champion can cause problems for “The Last Stylebender.”
He pointed out how the physicality of “Stillknocks” and his willingness to walk opponents down could make it a very difficult night for Adesanya.
“For sure, Dricus is my boy. It’s gonna be a good matchup. Styles make fights and Dricus doesn’t care about how good Israel’s kickboxing is, he’s just going to go forward and hit him, you know?
“One thing for sure that I know about Dricus, he’s very very strong physically, very, very strong. If Israel’s not on point, he’s going to have a hard night.”
Dricus Du Plessis knew that he was going to be stirring the pot when he said that by becoming the middleweight champion, he would be the first true African to hold gold.
What he meant was that unlike the likes of Kamaru Usman, Francis Ngannou and Israel Adesanya, who he faces in Perth, he has become champion whilst still living and training out of South Africa.
Adesanya took major issue with these comments but they will finally get the chance to settle the score in their upcoming clash.
Unsurprisingly, “The Last Stylebender” wasn’t the only fighter on the roster with African roots that feels offended by what Du Plessis had to say.
Abdul Razak Hassan Launches Into Fired-Up Rant About Dricus Du Plessis’ Comments
Abdul Razak Alhassan is set to make his return this weekend in Denver when he takes on Cody Brundage and looks to bounce back from a defeat last time out.
During his media day interviews, the middleweight livewire was asked for his opinion on the conversation based on the fact that he represents Ghana.
What followed was an incredibly passionate and heated speech from Alhassan about Du Plessis’s words.
He believes that the middleweight champion would not have said these things if he knew what it meant to truly be African and battle through tough living situations early on in life.
“I respect the things he’s done in MMA but he’s a f****** b****, he’s a f****** a****** for that word that he used right. If he’s a f****** real African and he lived in Africa, he would have never used that f****** word, he’s a f****** b**** a** to use that word because an African, if he was raised with the poor people in Africa, the way I was raised, the way I grew up with how I go days without food. I have to go see my friends eating and I be like, ‘Hey bro can you give me one teaspoon of your food so I can put it in my mouth?’ That’s how I’ll survive for a few days until I can get money.
“So if we get opportunity to leave that s***hole, of course I’m sorry, I’m not trying to call my country a s***hole but I’m poor. If I can go to America or I can go to a different country to make a better life for myself, I’ll f****** cut off my leg to f****** go. If he is a true African, he would have understood that. That means he was living the comfortable life, his family had the money to feed him everyday so he didn’t have to worry about leaving to go and make it so for him to say he’s the true African champion that lived there and he made it, he’s a f****** b**** for saying that. I respect what he’s done but he’s a b**** for that.”
Dricus Du Plessis recently said that he sensed Israel Adesanya was ready to hang up his gloves after avenging his loss to Alex Pereira, feeling as though he had accomplished everything he set out to achieve in the sport.
“Stillknocks” is set to defend his middleweight title for the first time against the former longtime champion, Adesanya, in the main event of UFC 305. The eagerly awaited clash is scheduled for August 17 at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia.
“The Last Stylebender” is set to make his return to the Octagon after an 11-month hiatus, the longest of his UFC career. Following his title loss to Sean Strickland at UFC 293 last September, Adesanya took a self-imposed break to focus on his mental health.
The Nigerian-born Kiwi is currently enduring the toughest period of his career since his failed bid for the light heavyweight title against then-champion Jan Blachowicz at UFC 259. Three fights later, Adesanya suffered his first middleweight loss, a fifth-round TKO at the hands of longtime rival Alex Pereira at UFC 281.
However, he made a triumphant comeback by reclaiming the middleweight title from “Poatan” in a rematch at UFC 287, and Du Plessis believes this victory marks the peak of Adesanya’s career.
In a recent interview with Hello Sport, the reigning UFC middleweight champion reflected on his faceoff with Adesanya at the UFC 305 on-sale press conference. The South African expressed respect for “The Last Stylebender’s” achievements but sensed that Adesanya is pushing himself too hard for the upcoming fight.
“When it comes to the title defenses, the winning streaks will never come because he doesn’t have the time, Du Plessis said. “I think his biggest achievement for him personally was beating Alex Pereira. He had this nemesis who had beaten him multiple times, and after that fight, he [Adesanya] was ready to call it quits.
“That’s what I saw in his eyes as well. [He was] trying to convince me but more so trying to convince himself that he still wants to do this and that he still has what it takes to be the best fighter in the world and as soon as you ask yourself that question – you’re in a dark place.”
Adesanya and Pereira’s rivalry stands as one of the most intense and storied in combat sports history, with “Poatan” seemingly having shattered his opponent both physically and mentally – only to suffer a brutal knockout in their latest scrap.
The Brazilian defeated Adesanya twice in kickboxing, and the two have each claimed a victory each in their UFC showdowns.
Dricus Du Plessis Says Being At Peace Heading Into UFC 305 ‘Dangerous’ For Israel Adesanya
Adesanya previously stated that the layoff allowed him to regroup and alleviate the pressure of constantly fighting and enduring the demands of fight camps.
“The time off is not necessarily the problem; it can be good, but it can be bad… When you get to the position where you are so comfortable, where he said he’s at peace, he’s happy with what he has, and it’s a dangerous place to be at because this sport is chaos and chaos is the exact opposite of peace.
“If you’re at peace and you’re getting in the Octagon with me, it’s going to be a problem because I bring chaos.”
Du Plessis and Adesanya have a tumultuous history, with their fates intertwined long before their dramatic altercation at UFC 290 last July. Their rivalry dates back to when “The Last Stylebender” reigned as middleweight champion, and Du Plessis called him out, vowing to become a true African champion and bring the belt back to the continent.
Israel Adesanya is returning to the Octagon to face Dricus Du Plessis for the UFC middleweight championship at UFC 305 in Perth. Last September, he lost the title to Sean Strickland in a huge upset and awaits to finally settle his rivalry with “Stillknocks.”
On his rather quick path to becoming the kingpin, Du Plessis defeated the likes of Robert Whittaker, Derek Brunson, and Darren Till. With his unusual grappling style and striking, which were initially doubted heavily by many MMA enthusiasts, he’s become a hard nut to crack in the middleweight division.
Here’s how Adesanya, one of the most celebrated strikers ever, plans to counter Du Plessis’ unique style at UFC 305…
Israel Adesanya Aims To Stick To His Classic Style To Beat Dricus Du Plessis At UFC 305
Adesanya recently appeared in an interview uploaded on The Sias du Plessis Show YouTube channel. The former two-time UFC middleweight champion seemed unbothered by his next opponent’s unpredictable style and physicality.
“The Last Stylebender” remembered his KO win over Alex Pereira, who appeared to hold a size advantage over all middleweights in the UFC. Accordingly, Du Plessis’ size and unorthodox style on fight night won’t compel Adesanya to change his strategy.
“I fought the largest middleweight, Alex Pereira, and I knocked him out,” Adesanya said. “How am I gonna deal with Dricus’ uniqueness? It’s just be unique myself. Be unique to who I am. Never again will I ever stray away from my style or my flow just because I wanna do something different or pander or anything like that.”
Adesanya also revealed that he plans to fight like his usual self at UFC 305. Fans can expect him to maintain distance and attempt to piece up Du Plessis from the outside with clean strikes if this is true.
“I’m always gonna stick to my style and stick to what I do best, which is beating people up in fantastic fashion. And, yeah, I’ve done that my whole career, and I wanna get back to that,” Adesanya added. “I’m not really worried about the outcome. It’s more about the journey.”
The Nigerian-New Zealander repeatedly mentioned that he wants to enjoy the process rather than worry about the outcome of his fight with Du Plessis.
Will this mindset, accompanied by his classic striking style, be enough to reclaim gold at UFC 305? Only time will tell.
Former UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen is intrigued by the possibility of Jiří Procházka joining the division he formerly competed in.
Procházka is currently just over a week on from his latest outing at the UFC 303 pay-per-view, which saw his second failed bid to achieve two-time champion status on mixed martial arts’ biggest stage play out.
Having had his light heavyweight reign brought to an end by a severe shoulder injury in late 2022, “BJP” returned in competition for the then-vacant belt at UFC 295 last November. On that night, Alex Pereira exited the cage with the gold in his possession, completing two-division glory in the process.
With both subsequently recording wins at UFC 300 this past April, they ran it back on short notice after the June 29 numbered event was left in desperate need of a headline savior.
The Czech star answered the call and looked to right the wrongs from his first showdown with “Poatan.” But unfortunately for the former champ, he was soundly beaten second time around.
In the aftermath, a disappointed Procházka admitted he needs to “evolve” as a fighter or simply not compete any longer. Separately, his coach pitched a drop to middleweight following his man’s latest setback at 205 pounds.
That idea appears to be one that gets a former title challenger in both divisions off his seat…
Sonnen ‘Loves’ The Idea Of Middleweight Procházka
During a video recently uploaded to his YouTube channel, Sonnen reacted to talk of Procházka possibly testing the middleweight waters down the line, a move that the former champ himself has previously insisted would be doable.
While he suggested a divisional switch is not a necessity for “BJP” despite his two defeats to the current light heavyweight kingpin, “The Bad Guy” did point out a number of mouthwatering matchups that could await the Czech star down at 185 pounds.
“Jiří Procházka’s coach suggests the former champion should move down to middleweight. … Well, I don’t want to take on that coach or his opinion because he is damn good and he created a world champion there,” Sonnen said. “I believe what he is offering, in front of everything else, is that it is not time for Jiří to retire. I agree with that, fully.
“I don’t believe there is a meaningful difference if you become a world champion in a different division. … Jiří at 185, that is completely fascinating to me. I love that idea,” Sonnen continued. “I really don’t want to see Jiří vs. Alex Pereira (again). I didn’t really want to see Jiří vs. Alex Pereira last weekend. That’s just not the one that I was itching for. But I tell you what, Jiří Procházka vs. Du Plessis? You have my attention. Jiří Procházka vs. Sean Strickland, vs. Izzy Adesanya, wow, vs. Robert Whittaker, woah, things just got really interesting. Jiří Procházka vs. Khamzat Chimaev! Jiří at 185, I love this concept, but I’m not bothered by the concept of Jiří staying at 205.”
It remains to be seen what Procházka’s plans are for the future and whether he shares his coach’s view on a middleweight move next.
But regardless, the always entertaining “BJP” is already back to his unique and unorthodox training regime back in Czechia.
Dricus Du Plessis recently looked back on the fight that saw him crowned as the UFC middleweight champion earlier this year.
Du Plessis is currently gearing up for his first defense of the 185-pound title, which goes down (under) in Perth, Australia, as the UFC 305 pay-per-view main event next month.
The South African will finally square off with Israel Adesanya close to a year on from their originally planned showdown. After upsetting Robert Whittaker, Du Plessis was expected to challenge “The Last Stylebender” at UFC 293 in Sydney last September.
But their rivalry — a sensitive and historical one born out of Du Plessis’ controversial comments regarding the UFC’s African champs — was put on the back burner after an injury to “Stillknocks.”
In his place, Sean Strickland made the long-haul flight to Australia and capitalized in emphatic fashion, outpointing Adesanya dominantly.
While that served as another delay in Adesanya vs. Du Plessis coming to fruition, the latter brought the matchup back to the surface when he rendered Strickland’s reign a short one at UFC 297 in Toronto this past January.
Du Plessis Describes Fighting ‘Very Tricky’ Strickland
During a recent appearance on the All Talk podcast, Du Plessis reflected on his experience fighting the unique style of Strickland in Canada six months ago.
After noting his former opponent’s shock win over Adesanya, the reigning champ outlined the difficulty that comes with fighting “Tarzan’s” unorthodox approach.
More than handling that, however, Du Plessis said his real agitation came when Strickland failed to deliver on his promise of a ‘fight-to-the-death’ war — a criticism that has since reared its head again after Strickland’s victory over Paulo Costa at UFC 302.
“(Strickland’s) a very tricky guy. He’s hard to hit, he has a sneaky jab — not a lot of power, but he hits the target and is really, really hard to catch,” Du Plessis said. “Let me say it this way, it was frustrating (to fight him) because he said, ‘Till death,’ and he just walked backwards the whole time. So that was a little frustrating.
“But I mean, he did catch me with that jab for the first two rounds the whole time,” Du Plessis continued. “To be honest, I felt the jabs and I just thought, ‘I’ll just go through them.’ All of a sudden, I just couldn’t see out of my eye anymore. I realized, ‘I have to start blocking these.’”
Having successfully gotten past Strickland’s style in narrow fashion, Du Plessis is next tasked with replicating his ex-rival’s feat from 2023.
UFC Middleweight Champion Dricus Du Plessis drew some conclusions from his long faceoff with Israel Adesanya last week.
After a bitter feud dating back to the start of 2023, Du Plessis and Adesanya will finally have the chance to settle their grudge inside the Octagon at the upcoming UFC 305 pay-per-view in Perth, Australia, next month.
Having been unable to make the turnaround post-beating Robert Whittaker to face “The Last Stylebender” in Sydney last September, “Stillknocks” set this bout up once again by dethroning Sean Strickland months after he upset Adesanya Down Under.
With their long-awaited showdown just over a month away, Du Plessis and his challenger went face to face in Perth for an on-sale press conference.
Following some firm words with microphone in hand, the pair engaged in one of the lengthiest and most intense faceoffs in recent memory. And according to the champ, he learned a thing or two from it…
Du Plessis Saw Uncertainty In Adesanya’s Eyes During Perth Faceoff
During a recent appearance on the All Talk podcast, Du Plessis looked ahead to his opening defense of the middleweight title and reflected on his first in-person interaction with Adesanya during the UFC 305 buildup.
The South African spoke about the importance of pre-fight faceoffs, even branding them the first part of a bout. And given what he claims to have seen in the eyes of Adesanya, the champ evidently believes round one went to him.
“Once I get into that zone for any staredown, there’s no humor in that. That’s when things get serious. That’s part of the fight right there, winning that exchange,” Du Plessis said. “Almost a theme for me in this whole fight is seeing that Israel Adesanya…he has done great things in this sport. But when it comes to as big as he’s gonna get, he has been as big as he’s gonna get. When it comes to the title defenses and the winning streaks, that will never come again because he doesn’t have the time.
“His biggest achievement for him personally was beating Alex Pereira. He had this nemesis who’s beaten him multiple times. And after that fight, he was ready to call it quits,” Du Plessis continued. “That’s what I saw in his eyes as well; trying to convince me but more so trying to convince himself that he still wants to do this and that he still has what it takes to be the best fighter in the world. As soon as you’re asking yourself that question, you’re in a dark place.”
Whether or not Du Plessis draws the same conclusion when they go face to face again when fight week rolls around in Perth remains to be seen.
Israel Adesanya is certainly not going to be short on motivation heading into his middleweight title fight at UFC 305.
After the longest break of his fighting career, the former champion returns to try and reclaim the belt against his rival, Dricus Du Plessis.
There has been tension between the two men that stems back to last year when some comments from “Stillknocks” made this feud personal and intense.
Now, Du Plessis had added more fuel to the fire with his statements in interviews and the recent press conference, where he gave his feelings on Adesanya’s career.
Michael Bisping Says Dricus Du Plessis Is Motivating & Firing Up Israel Adesanya Ahead Of UFC 305
Despite their feud, Du Plessis has made it very clear that he has a lot of respect for everything that Adesanya has accomplished in his career.
In a recent video on his YouTube channel, former 185-pound champion Michael Bisping gave his reaction to the words between the two men at the press conference.
He believes that Du Plessis saying these things about Adesanya could end up backfiring by giving his opponent more venom ahead of their eventual meeting in Perth on August 17.
“That’s kind of harsh words for Israel Adesanya to hear and for Israel, that’s going to motivate him big time. That’s going to p*** him off, that’s going to grind his gears, that’s going to get in his head, that is going to force him to train his a** off, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we see one of the most dangerous, nasty version of Israel Adesanya that we’ve seen.”
Adesanya’s return comes on Australian soil, where he was shockingly unseated by Sean Strickland last September in Sydney.
He’ll look to return to the throne inside Perth’s RAC Arena, where fellow Oceania-based fighters like Kai Kara-France, Steve Erceg, Junior Tafa, and Jack Jenkins will also be among those in action.
UFC middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis is locked in to prepare for his first title defense, which will come at UFC 305 against Israel Adesanya.
Without looking past the former champion, Du Plessis is still keeping an eye on who else could challenge him for the title in the near future, with it likely coming down to two potential opponents.
Both Sean Strickland and Robert Whittaker have held the title in the past and they’ve rebounded in recent fights from losses to the current champion.
After Whittaker stopped Ikram Aliskerov, who was a late-notice replacement for Khamzat Chimaev, and Strickland convincingly defeated Paulo Costa, a fight between them makes a lot of sense to the champion.
Dricus Du Plessis Says Sean Strickland vs. Robert Whittaker Should & Will Happen Next
Strickland has made it very clear that after believing he beat Du Plessis in January and then getting the win over Costa at UFC 302, he wants to sit out in order to wait for his second shot at the title.
The champion believes that with Strickland and Whittaker both having claims to be the next in line, a number one contender’s match-up should and will take place in the near future.
“Stillknocks” spoke about this option and why he wants to see his two former opponents meet for the first time inside the Octagon.
“In my opinion, how I see this playing out, you cannot not do the Whittaker versus Strickland fight. I think that’s the fight that needs to happen. Now I know Strickland when we’re at the presser said Whittaker is nothing but a blitz and it’s an easy fight and now he doesn’t want to take that fight. Let me tell you one thing, Robert Whittaker is no easy fight for anybody. Strickland, also an incredible fighter, and that is just a fight that makes so much sense. That’s a fight on it’s own, you can main event that fight on any card and I honestly think that’s how it’s gonna play out.”
UFC Middleweight Champion Dricus Du Plessis had some strong words for Israel Adesanya when they went face to face for the first time since confirmation of their upcoming fight.
In a bout that has been a long time in the making, Du Plessis will put his 185-pound gold on the line against the division’s former two-time champ at UFC 305 on August 17.
That matchup came about after number one contender “Stillknocks” was unable to make the turnaround after his victory over Robert Whittaker through injury. While that delayed the settling of Du Plessis and Adesanya’s grudge, the South African’s subsequent title crowning in Toronto, Canada, this past January brought it back to the surface.
Du Plessis Uses Golf Jibe To Outline Plan To ‘Retire’ Adesanya
As expected, the historical and sensitive nature of Du Plessis and Adesanya’s heated rivalry was a topic of conversation on stage, with the latter again commenting on the South African’s claim regarding African champs.
After reiterating his defense of that controversy from last year, Du Plessis went in a different direction, using Adesanya’s apparent newfound fondness for golf to predict his impending retirement.
“I’m glad you took up golf, because that’s a retirement sport,” Du Plessis said.
During the presser, the pair also engaged in one of the lengthiest and most intense faceoffs in recent memory on stage.
Suffice to say, there will be plenty more of that when the pair cross paths for promotional events during UFC 305 fight week in August, at the end of which Adesanya will hope to emerge with a third middleweight rule underway.
Welcome to MMA News Today, a daily feature running down the most interesting stories in the world of mixed martial arts. For July 3, 2024, we’re taking a look at:
Du Plessis has the best reply to Adesanya jab
Jones gives his side of the story on the use of magic and spirits
Diaz knew his own value before taking McGregor opportunity
Dricus Du Plessis Makes Joking Remark To Israel Adesanya During Heated Faceoff
Before the two rivals meet at UFC 305 on August 17 in Perth, they shared an incredibly tense staredown that is sure to build excitement for their eventual meeting.
Adesanya appeared to be the one to say something to Du Plessis first during the staredown which the middleweight champion was asked about after the press conference.
He jokingly made remarks about something that Adesanya’s last opponent, Sean Strickland, also chose to make fun of throughout the build-up to their fight.
Du Plessis referenced a video of Adesanya and his dog which appears to be a bit of a sore subject for “The Last Stylebender”, as was proven after the Strickland fight.
“I think he said, ‘Don’t kiss me’, as far as I know. I said I’m no dog so I won’t and you know, I don’t really know what he was saying. I wasn’t really focused on what he was saying.”
Jon Jones Says He Has Experienced ‘Spirit Channelling’ & Magic’ For Himself Following UFC 303 Controversy
Alex Pereira and Jiří Procházka are two of the most intense individuals in the sport when it comes to fight night.
Before UFC 303 got underway, Procházka spoke about how he believed “Poatan” was using the help of magic and spirits in his fight, asking him to abstain in their rematch.
Whilst Pereira offered a classy response to this in his post-fight interview after beating the former champion, UFC heavyweight champ Jon Jones is the latest to weigh in on this.
He posted on social media about how there is some truth to this based on his experiences of stepping into certain arenas and coming up against specific opponents.
“There has been a lot of talk about spirit channeling and magic in MMA lately. This stuff is all very real. I felt all types of weird energies walking into those arenas. Looking certain opponents in the eyes. I want to let you all know that Jesus Christ is king, he is and always will be undefeated. Every knee shall bow.”
There has been a lot of talk about spirit channeling and magic in MMA lately. This stuff is all very real. I felt all types of weird energies walking into those arenas. Looking certain opponents in the eyes. I want to let you all know that Jesus Christ is king, he is and always…
Nate Diaz Reveals How He Negotiated A Much Higher Purse For His First Fight With Conor McGregor
Nate Diaz has always been a cult icon in combat sports but UFC 196 was a moment that changed his life forever.
The Stockton fighter became a huge name overnight when he stepped into the main event on late notice to fight Conor McGregor in one of the most iconic moments in the history of the sport.
Diaz was well compensated for stepping up to save the day in place of Rafael Dos Anjos but he did have to put his foot down in order to get a much higher purse than was initially offered.
He told MMA great Demetrious Johnson during an interview on The MightyCast how he knew what his own value was at the time and made sure he was suitably compensated.
“At the time, it was (the biggest pay check I’d received). But they were trying to give me pennies for that too,” Diaz said. “I was like, ‘Yeah, right. I know what I’m doing here. I’ve been through it.’ I’d already been into it with the organization about that. So they called me and they were like, ‘Hey, while you’re going to do this, we’re going to give you a million dollars.’ I was like, ‘Hey, you’re gonna give me more than that.’
“So I got like five times more than that because of that. I knew the game by then and I was like, ‘F*ck that,’” Diaz continued. “Remember when I was telling you about how if I fight every two months, I could be rich. That basic math attitude kind of f*cking times 10, times 100, over and over again. So I knew what it was with the whole money in the business and sh*t. I might not be educated but I’m not stupid.”
The top fighters confirmed to be in action at UFC 305 on August 17 took to the stage for an on-sale press conference in the event’s host city this week.
Mixed martial arts’ leading promotion will return to Perth next month for the first time since last February. On that occasion, the RAC Arena played host to local favorite Alexander Volkanovski’s competitive lightweight title challenge against Islam Makhachev.
This time around, the venue will mark the location for the long-awaited comeback of another standout from the Oceanic region, former two-time UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya.
Also on the lineup is a teammate of Adesanya’s in Kai Kara-France. With concussion issues keeping him out of a fight close to home 10 months ago and leaving him without Octagon action since a narrow loss to Amir Albazi last May, “Don’t Blink” will look to reinsert his name into the title conversation at flyweight.
He likely won’t have the backing of the crowd on August 17, however, as he goes up against Perth’s own Steve Erceg. The contest will mark “Astroboy’s” first since falling short of Alexandre Pantoja’s 125-pound gold at UFC 301 in Rio de Janeiro a couple of months ago.
With Fight Club Pre-Sale starting on Tuesday, the promotion hosted a press conference in Perth, where Du Plessis, Adesanya, Kara-France, and Erceg all had mics in hand.
See below for a full replay of the presser, followed by all the highlights and one of the longest, most intense faceoffs in recent memory between the two UFC 305 headliners.
He came in a huge underdog at UFC 293 and was able to successfully implement his style in order to cause all kinds of problems for “The Last Stylebender”.
Whilst his first title defense was still a closely contended fight, Dricus Du Plessis didn’t have many of the same problems when facing Strickland at UFC 297.
The challenger still struggled to land anything clean on the champion and of course, styles make fights so he was able to threaten with his grappling more.
There may be lessons that can be learned from these two fights about Strickland’s trajectory which could end up being crucial in his return this weekend.
‘Big’ John McCarthy Says Sean Strickland Needs To Find His Groove Against Paulo Costa
At UFC 302, Strickland will face Paulo Costa in the co-main event over five rounds in Newark, New Jersey
The former champion certainly has some attributes that he may be able to use effectively in this fight but there was also one concern that has been highlighted.
On the latest episode of the Weighing In podcast, “Big” John McCarthy spoke about how the pressure on Strickland changed massively between UFC 293 and 297.
Forcing a dangerous striker like Costa to back up versus letting him dictate the range and pace could be absolutely vital for Strickland as he attempts to bounce back.
“The real question is, and you bring up the Izzy fight, I thought Sean went into that fight similar to what I was talking with Dustin, he had no pressure on him. No one expected him to win, there’s no pressure, just go be you and he did. You go and look at the DDP fight, he had a ton of pressure on him and it changed him. He was a lot tighter during the fight, you could see where he was pressing at time. He just was not in that flow like he was against Izzy, he needs to get back to that.”
Veteran Chris Curtis is expected to return at UFC’s April 9th pay-per-view event, facing Dricus Du Plessis in a middleweight matchup. The fight has joined the UFC 273 card, per a report from Shaun Al-Shatti and Mike Heck of MMA Fighting.
The fight joins a growing PPV card that doesn’t have a confirmed location at the moment.
Curtis will be attempting to build upon a strong run that started on the regional scene in 2020 and has brought him to the UFC.
Chris Curtis attained a strong five-fight winning streak from early 2020 to July 2021, with four of those wins coming via stoppage. This earned him the UFC call, as he stepped in on short notice to face Phil Hawes.
Curtis prevailed in that matchup, stopping Hawes late in the first round of a fight at UFC 268. He wrapped up the year by earning another paycheck, scoring a finish win against Brendan Allen in December.
A win in April would move the middleweight veteran’s win streak to eight consecutive fights.
Du Plessis Searching For Third Win
Dricus Du Plessis
Like Curtis, Du Plessis has yet to lose since joining the UFC roster. The former KSW welterweight champion made his promotional debut in October 2020, stopping Markus Perez in the first round with strikes.
Du Plessis’ last appearance was a big win, stopping the three-fight winning streak of Trevin Giles with strikes.
Du Plessis was at one point matched against André Muniz for a UFC card in December, although that matchup didn’t come to fruition.
UFC 273 currently has two title fights set for the top of the lineup. In the main event, UFC Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski is scheduled to face The Korean Zombie.
Here’s the updated lineup:
Featherweight Title Bout: Alexander Volkanovski vs. The Korean Zombie
Bantamweight Title Bout: Aljamain Sterling vs. Petr Yan
Bantamweight Bout: Irene Aldana vs. Aspen Ladd
Middleweight Bout: Chris Curtis vs. Dricus Du Plessis
Featherweight Bout: Pat Sabatini vs. Gavin Tucker
Welterweight Bout: Mickey Gall vs. Mike Malott
Heavyweight Bout: Jairzinho Rozenstruick vs. Marcin Tybura
Strawweight Bout: Mackenzie Dern vs. Tecia Torres
Middleweight Bout: Kelvin Gastelum vs. Nassourdine Imavov
