UFC 305 sees the Octagon head Down Under for the latest pay-per-view spectacular as one of the biggest rivalries in the UFC finally comes to a head in Perth, Australia.
With just over a week to go before fight night at the RAC Arena, let’s set the stage for one of the biggest UFC title fights of the year…
The Matchup
In the red corner, reigning UFC middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis. The South African has powered his way up the UFC’s 185-pound division through grit, toughness, and sheer force of will, despite detractors queueing up to criticise his technique and somewhat unrefined fighting style.
In the blue corner, former two-time UFC middleweight champ Israel Adesanya. The Nigerian-New Zealander has been considered the gold standard of the striking arts in the UFC. The former kickboxing ace transitioned his skills to the Octagon and became one of the UFC’s greatest middleweight champions of all time.
The Backstory
Adesanya lost his title to his old nemesis Alex Pereira, won it back from the Brazilian in spectacular fashion, then suffered a shock defeat to Sean Strickland to lose it last September. Strickland then faced Du Plessis, who edged him via split decision in a super-close encounter to claim the title in January.
It sets up the August 17 clash between Du Plessis and Adesanya—a matchup full of bad blood that started with Du Plessis’s comment about wanting to be the first residing African fighter to capture championship gold.
His choice of words, saying he was the “true African fighter,” angered Nigerian-born Adesanya, who lives and trains out of Auckland, New Zealand. This sparked a nasty war of words between the pair, with Adesanya firing most of the bullets.
For his part, Du Plessis has always maintained that he has no animosity towards Adesanya, and has never questioned “The Last Stylebender” as an African. Instead, he stressed that it was his aim to be the first African fighter actually based in Africa.
Now Du Plessis has the title, and Adesanya is looking to re-establish the old order by defeating “Stillknocks” and becoming a three-time middleweight champion.
The Style Clash
You couldn’t see a bigger contrast of styles between two predominantly stand-up fighters. Du Plessis is a high-pressure, high-power striker, who barrels forward throwing big punches. He has become more considered in his approach as he has moved up the middleweight ladder, but if you opt to go into the trenches with him, he’s always happy to oblige.
But, as his critics have highlighted, Du Plessis’ striking style is wide open, and he would appear to be susceptible to a sharpshooter who can ping him with straight shots through his open guard as he lunges forward, throwing hooks.
Adesanya would appear to have the perfect skillset to do just that. The former champion is the ultimate technician, and his rapier-like striking has unpicked some of the best technical fighters in the UFC’s middleweight division—just go back and watch his title-winning performance against Robert Whittaker for evidence of that.
Adesanya has shown that he’s fallible, too. Pereira hurt, then finished, Adesanya with power strikes in their first meeting, and he was outboxed by Strickland as he lost his title for the second time. However, a focused, fired-up Adesanya is a dangerous Adesanya, and with “The Last Stylebender” seemingly on a personal mission, we could see a vintage performance from him on August 17.
Who Has The Edge?
So, what’s the verdict in the Du Plessis v Adesanya betting stakes?
Adesanya will have the height and reach advantage over Du Plessis, but the champion may have the edge in outright strength and durability. Du Plessis will put the pressure on Adesanya and look to overwhelm him, while Adesanya will look to fight off the back foot and pot-shot the South African, using the champion’s own forward momentum against him with well-placed strikes.
Du Plessis v Adesanya is a battle between a tank and a sniper, and you can see clear routes to victory for both men. But which way are you leaning ahead of fight night? Will “Stillknocks” overpower Adesanya and retain his title, or will “The Last Stylebender” produce another virtuoso performance to capture the title for the third time?
Du Plessis v Adesanya odds
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