The main event headlining UFC 305 was the middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis vs former champion Israel Adesanya. Dricus is the current champion earning a title shot after bulldozing his way through middleweight and knocking out Robert Whittaker. He then dethroned Sean Strickland in a close fought fight. A win over the biggest name at 185 would do wonders for Dricus and help cement himself as champion.
Israel Adesanya seeks to reclaim UFC gold after being dethroned by Sean Strickland. Following the defeat the future hall of famer took a year out to recuperate and let his body heal. With how active Izzy had been his body needed a break. And now he looks to take back his championship.
Dricus Du Plessis Defends Title Submitting Israel Adesanya at UFC 305
From the first bell Adesnya was constantly pressuring Dricus, switching stances, and targeting the body. Dricus missed some leg kicks attempted to blitz but missed his shots in return Izzy landed a nice body kick. Izzy also landed another good body kick. Dricus shot a takedown however Adesnya stuffed it with ease and returned with a left straight and another body kick. Dricus caught Izzy with a few shots but Izzy returned with a left hook, body kick and right hand to the body.
Round 2 Dricus looked to utilise more of his grappling going for the takedown almost immediately and getting it. Dricus managed to get to Izzy’s back and attempted to latch up a rear-naked choke but Izzy escaped. and got up. Izzy landed a nice elbow but Dricus landed a right hand. Izzy landed a 1-2 but Dricus timed a good takedown where he kept Izzy either against the fence or on the ground for the rest of the round.
By round 3 both fighters were looking tired. Izzy again started focusing on that body landing some nice bodyshots. Adesanya also landed a very nice spinning elbow. However, Dricus started gaining momentum landing his looping shots with more frequency. And as Dricus was chasing down Izzy he landed some shots that dropped the former champion. Immediately Dricus jumped on Izzy’s back to latch up a rear-naked choke and got it securing a 3rd round submission over Izzy for his first title defence.
This win is massive for Dricus Du Plessis. With this win he has beaten the top 3 of the division Whittaker, Strickland, and now Adesanya a very impressive resume. Dana has said that Sean is getting the title shot so Dricus will be rematching Strickland. However, there’s also a possibility of a Whittaker rematch or Chimaev fight depending on how impressive the winner looks. Dricus continues to defy the odds and we shall see if he continues to in his next fight.
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
