If you plan to wager on the UFC 305 pay-per-view (PPV) main event between middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis and former titleholder Israel Adesanya, you should probably be aware that “Stillknocks” has no plans to wrestle “The Last Stylebender” when they hook ‘em up next month at RAC Center in Perth, Western Australia.
Adesanya opened as the slight betting favorite.
“We’ll fight Izzy wherever it is that Izzy wants to take it,” coach Morne Visser told EFC Engaged. “We are 100 percent where we need to be. They think that Dricus is going to shoot and take him down. No way. We want to beat him on the feet.”
Du Plessis is feeling fairly confident in his standup skills heading into UFC 305 after watching Adesanya struggle against Sean Strickland in the UFC 293 headliner last fall. “Tarzan” was able to drop “The Last Stylebender” in the opening frame and went on to capture the 185-pound strap after five rounds of lopsided action.
“If I landed that shot that Sean Strickland landed, the fight was over right there 100 percent,” Du Plessis told Main Event. “We know Strickland is not a power puncher. Strickland is an incredibly good boxer, boxing is really good. Very awkward. But he doesn’t have that power. He put [Adesanya] down, I honestly thought the fight was gonna be over. But yeah, if I catch him with that shot it’s over.”
Du Plessis (21-2) has 19 finishes in 21 wins.