Israel Adesanya has been sidelined since his upset decision loss to Sean Strickland nearly one year ago, but the time off has allowed “Last Stylebender” to properly prepare for his return to action against UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis tomorrow night (Sat., Aug. 17, 2024) at UFC 305 LIVE on ESPN+ PPV from inside RAC Arena in Perth, Australia.
The former champion’s preparation has included a revamped workout regime to build some additional muscle mass. Adesanya has always been one of the tallest middleweights in the division, but he’s never been the most jacked. “Last Stylebender” has tried his best to smartly pack on some extra pounds for his long-awaited return.
Just one week ago he released a training camp photo showing off his new physique.
On Thursday, a side-by-side photo of Adesanya made its way onto social media (via Happy Punch) and immediately sparked some criticism among MMA’s most “intellectual” fans. The photo showed Adesanya before his loss to Strickland and what he currently looks like heading into his title fight grudge match with DDP this weekend at UFC 305.
Check out the side-by-side photo at the top of the page and social media’s reaction below. What do you think?
“He literally looks the same he just pulled his shorts up”
“Substantial difference. You can see it in the shoulders and his lats. Structurally stronger”
“He’s on that secret juice”
“PEDsrael Adesanya”
“Just more visible abs and different lighting lol”
“USADA gone and people see magically increasing muscle mass”
“Suspiciously massive”
“You can see it In the neck. He’s gonna kill DDP”
“If u think he looks the same u have no idea anything about physique”
“Nah that’s just roids”
“Upped the dosage”
“He’s getting ready for that light heavyweight Pereira rematch”
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 305 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches at 6:30 p.m. ET, followed by the remaining undercard balance on ESPN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.
To check out the latest and greatest UFC 305: “Du Plessis vs. Adesanya” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here. For the updated and finalized UFC 305 fight card and PPV lineup click here.