Demetrious Johnson recently shared his prediction for the highly anticipated middleweight clash between Dricus Du Plessis and Israel Adesanya at UFC 305.
Du Plessis will defend his UFC middleweight title for the first time in a rivalry-charged showdown against Adesanya, headlining the upcoming pay-per-view event this weekend at the RAC Arena in Perth, Western Australia.
ONLY ONE WILL WEAR THE MW CROWN
@DricusDuPlessis vs @Stylebender
[ #UFC305 | Live SATURDAY on @ESPNPlus PPV | 10pmET/7pmPT ] pic.twitter.com/zpzEbVZy1K
— UFC (@ufc) August 16, 2024
The two fighters have been caught in a maelstrom of animosity for some time now and were originally expected to clash in September 2023. However, an injury sidelined “Stillknocks.” Consequently, Sean Strickland took the South African’s spot and dethroned Adesanya in a short-notice bout at UFC 293.
Following his loss, “The Last Stylebender” announced he would be stepping away from the Octagon for a while, choosing to focus on his mental health and reassess his career trajectory. During his absence, Du Plessis made a powerful comeback, defeating Strickland in a hard-fought split decision at UFC 297 to claim the 185-pound title.
Even after returning from a loss and a year-long hiatus, Adesanya is still widely regarded as the favorite against Du Plessis, likely due to his exceptional distance control and top-tier striking skills.
“Mighty Mouse” believes these attributes give the Nigerian-born Kiwi a massive edge over a formidable power puncher like Du Plessis…
Johnson Confident Adesanya Shuts Down Du Plessis In Close-Range Fight
During a recent video on his YouTube channel, Johnson weighed in on the upcoming title clash between Du Plessis and Adesanya.
The reigning ONE Championship flyweight champion emphasized that the outcome of this fight will likely hinge on how well each fighter manages distance and navigates close-pocket exchanges.
“There is no secret I’m a big Izzy fan. I hope he wins,” Johnson said. “If Izzy does not go out there and (impose) his will on DDP, I think it’s going to be a long night for Izzy Adesanya. He does a very good job creating that void between him and his opponent and forcing them to come across the distance with his feints, his teeps, his high kicks, and his inside kicks—whatnot. That’s what he does best.”
“Mighty Mouse” went on to say that it will be crucial to observe how much Adesanya has evolved since his last fight and whether he can keep his emotions in check, avoiding reckless charges against “Stillknocks,” a masterful counter-striker.
“I’m looking at this fight to see how Izzy bounces back from his last loss against Sean Strickland,” Johnson added. “How is he going to approach this fight against DDP? There’s a lot of bad blood. Is Izzy going to let emotions take over the fight? I don’t foresee DDP knocking out Izzy unless Izzy makes a mistake. But if Izzy hasn’t evolved to where he’s like how he fought Robert Whittaker the first time, when he was sitting there hunting, it’s a risky game… If Izzy goes out there, implements and executes his game plan, and forces DDP to make a bad choice, to overextend in the void, or just goes out there and works him, I have Izzy winning that fight.”
“The Last Stylebender” is returning from the longest layoff of his UFC career, and all eyes will be on how he has grown, both physically and mentally, to overcome a formidable challenge like Du Plessis.
Adesanya is presently enduring the most arduous phase of his career inside the Octagon, having gone 4-3 across his last seven bouts.
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