Israel Adesanya Will Attempt to Reclaim Middleweight Throne From Dricus du Plessis When He Returns at UFC 305

Dricus du Plessis’ star was white hot after he beat former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker at UFC 290. Not only had du Plessis picked up a victory over a former champion, but he bullied Whittaker before knocking him out in the second round. With all of the racially-tinged trash talk that had already taken place between then-champion Israel Adesanya and du Plessis, many people were already anticipating the meeting between the two men.

Then bad luck and Sean Strickland ruined everything. MMAfighting latest news shows that du Plessis turned down an opportunity to fight Adesanya at UFC 293 in September 2023 because he was getting surgery on his foot. UFC CEO Dana White expressed his disappointment that du Plessis was unavailable to take the fight.

Instead, Strickland stepped in and filled the spot. While Strickland was viewed as a heavy underdog, he scored a knockdown in the first round and ground his way to a decision win. When du Plessis took the title off Stickland last January, it took the UFC a while to come away with a person for him to make a title defense against.

Fighting About Heritage

Over the past few years, there have been a handful of UFC champions from Africa. What angered Adesanya about du Plessis was that du Plessis had said before that he was the only real African champion. However, Adesanya was born in Nigeria before his family ended up settling in New Zealand. Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou was born in Cameroon and emigrated to France before ending up in the United States. Kamaru Usman, a former UFC welterweight champion, was also born in Nigeria before moving to Dallas, Texas, with his family when he was eight years old.

When du Plessis started calling out Adesanya, MMA breaking news saw that Adesanya didn’t respond well to du Plessis’ trash. In the octagon during UFC 290, Adesanya said, “This is my African brother right here. Let’s go (slur), what’s up (expletive)? Let’s go (slur).”

When the fight with Adesanya was announced for UFC 305, du Plessis used the opportunity to take another shot at his rival.

“I also wouldn’t want to fight the king of Africa on home soil,” du Plessis wrote on social media. “Manifestations working good for you again!”

Adesanya Was One of UFC’s Most Active Champions

Adesanya losing to Strickland was more than shocking. MMA news websites show that Adesanya was coming off one of the biggest victories of his career. Adesanya finally had gotten over the hump and defeated his old rival, Alex Pereira.

Following the win over Pereira at UFC 287, there were a large number of contenders considered for another crack at the championship. Adesanya’s problem was that he had cleaned out the rest of the division. He had picked up wins over Jared Cannonier, Marvin Vettori (twice), Paulo Costa, and Yoel Romero while defending his middleweight championship.

Du Plessis Barely Won the Title

Since coming into the UFC, du Plessis has reached the peak of his powers. Anyone looking at MMA news sites will see that du Plessis didn’t need much time to adjust to being on the big stage. Du Plessis gained the momentum to challenge for the title when he knocked out Whittaker and Derek Brunson in consecutive fights.

After taking time to heal up following his foot surgery, du Plessis got his opportunity to fight Strickland at UFC 297. While du Plessis was known for his finishing ability, he allowed Strickland to drag him into his style of fight. They had a five-round battle where du Plessis was able to pick up a narrow split decision.

Strickland was upset he didn’t get an immediate rematch after he fought Costa and lost. Du Plessis was outstruck by Strickland during their fight. However, du Plessis landed six takedowns and was able to do enough to win on the scorecards.

Will Time Off Benefit Adesanya?

Adesanya should be proud of having a high activity level. While some fighters prefer to take more recovery time, Adesanya fought 15 times from when he debuted in February 2018 to when he lost to Strickland in September 2023. There weren’t many easy fights along the way for Adesanya.

For his debut fight, Adesanya fought former PFL champion Rob Wilkinson. During his time in the UFC, Adesanya successfully defended the middleweight championship five times in two titles. He also challenged unsuccessfully for the light heavyweight championship.

Adesanya has a 24-3 career record and has won 16 of those fights by knockouts. While Adesanya has sometimes been criticized for being a points fighter, his entrances on the way to the octagon and his striking ability has carved him out a big fanbase.

Former Champion Opens as a Favorite

Adesanya opened as a favorite on the betting line against du Plessis. While there is plenty of time for the line to move, du Plessis has often been questioned for his cardio. However, du Plessis showed during his last fight with Strickland that he is capable of going 25 minutes.

Adesanya has proven many times that he is willing and able to go the distance. Adesanya prefers to stand and strike and isn’t typically worried about landing power shots. While Adesanya may talk aggressively to build the fight in the lead-up to the contest, he typically hasn’t let his emotions get the best of him in the octagon.

This fight will be an interesting grudge match. While this fight really should have happened last year or earlier this year, it is nice to see Adesanya return to take on another challenge. Adesanya is looking to prove he is one of the best middleweights of all time. Beating du Plessis will be another feather in his cap.

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By Dean McHugh.