The more things change, the more they stay the same.
UFC middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis defended his 185-pound crown with an exclamation point, submitting former division titleholder Israel Adesanya atop the UFC 305 pay-per-view (PPV) event last weekend at RAC Arena in Perth, Western Australia.
Relive the madness here.
Du Plessis (22-2) is expected to make his next title defense against former division champion Sean Strickland, a rematch from the UFC 297 headliner earlier this year in Toronto that had “Stillknocks” squeaking by “Tarzan” with a super close split decision.
More on that (mild) controversy here.
That said, current light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira was also teasing a return to 185 pounds, where he once held the middleweight strap. In addition, the winner of Robert Whittaker vs. Khamzat Chimaev — who collide at UFC 308 — is also in the mix.
Here’s what the bookies at SportsBetting.ag set as the opening odds.
Dricus Du Plessis -130
Sean Strickland +110
Dricus Du Plessis -200
Alex Pereira +170
Dricus Du Plessis -185
Robert Whittaker +160
Dricus Du Plessis +170
Khamzat Chimaev -200
Maybe they missed that third round of the Chimaev-Usman fight.
With the current UFC schedule quickly filling up and just one PPV event remaining without a headlining act, we probably won’t see Du Plessis back inside the cage until early 2025. It may be worth the wait if “Stillknocks” gets to headline the promotion’s first-ever fight card in Africa.
For more results and fallout from last weekend’s UFC 305 event click here.