Israel Adesanya Doubts Dricus Du Plessis’ Striking Ahead of Title Fight

The middleweight title is on the line this weekend in Perth, Australia as South African champion Du Plessis enters his first title defense against two-time champ and future Hall of Famer Adesanya.

Du Plessis vs. Adesanya serves as one of the more intriguing matchups of the year, not just because of their heated rivalry heading into it but also because of the clash of styles between both fighters.

Coming from kickboxing roots, Adesanya is considered one of the best strikers to grace the UFC Octagon while Du Plessis is still making a name for himself, bringing a well-rounded yet unorthodox fighting style.

“My style doesn’t just come from me being weird and awkward and having no balance,” Du Plessis explained in a recent interview with CBS’ Sports Shakiel Mahjouri. “Obviously, there’s always room for improvement, but it’s something that we’ve, over the years, developed this style. I think it’s a superior style. That’s why I’m middleweight champion of the world. The misconception is people don’t realize that I know exactly what I’m doing.”

“Stillknocks” has yet to be beaten in his perfect 7-0 run in the promotion, which has seen him stop five of his opponents inside the distance (including former champion Robert Whittaker) with his constant pressure and resilience.

“Dricus Du Plessis is a guy who fights the way he fights. He gets a lot of success, but it leaves him very vulnerable,” Adesanya told Stake. “When you fight a guy who is very precise and lethal like me, come on.”

“The highlights will always be there. The way I fight will always produce highlights, and those are nice bonuses, but I don’t look for them, they just show up.”

So, what exactly does Adesanya expect to see from Du Plessis? While the reigning champ stood his ground with Sean Strickland for the most part at UFC 297, Adesanya’s not under the impression Du Plessis will want to stand and trade with a credentialed counter-striker like him.

“I think he’s going to shoot [for a takedown] straight away,” Adesanya said of Du Plessis. “I doubt he’ll want to strike with me for too long. This is something that people always say, but I’ve shown before that I can wrestle too. It might not be how everyone else wrestles, but I can wrestle too, that’s why I ended up becoming world champion.”

“…I’ve been here before, I’ve lost before and I know how things change, so for me, the defeat didn’t shake me,” Adesanya said of losing his title his last time out against Strickland. “You watch this… I’m going to smoke this fool. I’ve been here before, but I’ll play the game a little differently this time.”

Israel Adesanya has lost and won the middleweight title back in the past, getting revenge on Alex Pereira in their rematch at UFC 287 last year. With a win at UFC 305, Adesanya has the chance to make history as a three-time champion in the 185 lbs. weight class.

UFC 305: Dricus Du Plessis Addresses Chances of Sean Strickland Title Rematch