Tag: dricus du plessis

Israel Adesanya Explains How He’ll Deal With Dricus Du Plessis’ ‘Uniqueness’ At UFC 305

Israel Adesanya is returning to the Octagon to face Dricus Du Plessis for the UFC middleweight championship at UFC 305 in Perth. Last September, he lost the title to Sean Strickland in a huge upset and awaits to finally settle his rivalry with “Stillknocks.” On his rather quick path to becoming the kingpin, Du Plessis […]

Continue Reading Israel Adesanya Explains How He’ll Deal With Dricus Du Plessis’ ‘Uniqueness’ At UFC 305 at MMA News.

Israel Adesanya is returning to the Octagon to face Dricus Du Plessis for the UFC middleweight championship at UFC 305 in Perth. Last September, he lost the title to Sean Strickland in a huge upset and awaits to finally settle his rivalry with “Stillknocks.”

On his rather quick path to becoming the kingpin, Du Plessis defeated the likes of Robert Whittaker, Derek Brunson, and Darren Till. With his unusual grappling style and striking, which were initially doubted heavily by many MMA enthusiasts, he’s become a hard nut to crack in the middleweight division.

Here’s how Adesanya, one of the most celebrated strikers ever, plans to counter Du Plessis’ unique style at UFC 305…

Israel Adesanya Aims To Stick To His Classic Style To Beat Dricus Du Plessis At UFC 305

Adesanya recently appeared in an interview uploaded on The Sias du Plessis Show YouTube channel. The former two-time UFC middleweight champion seemed unbothered by his next opponent’s unpredictable style and physicality.

“The Last Stylebender” remembered his KO win over Alex Pereira, who appeared to hold a size advantage over all middleweights in the UFC. Accordingly, Du Plessis’ size and unorthodox style on fight night won’t compel Adesanya to change his strategy.

“I fought the largest middleweight, Alex Pereira, and I knocked him out,” Adesanya said. “How am I gonna deal with Dricus’ uniqueness? It’s just be unique myself. Be unique to who I am. Never again will I ever stray away from my style or my flow just because I wanna do something different or pander or anything like that.”

Adesanya also revealed that he plans to fight like his usual self at UFC 305. Fans can expect him to maintain distance and attempt to piece up Du Plessis from the outside with clean strikes if this is true.

“I’m always gonna stick to my style and stick to what I do best, which is beating people up in fantastic fashion. And, yeah, I’ve done that my whole career, and I wanna get back to that,” Adesanya added. “I’m not really worried about the outcome. It’s more about the journey.”

The Nigerian-New Zealander repeatedly mentioned that he wants to enjoy the process rather than worry about the outcome of his fight with Du Plessis.

Will this mindset, accompanied by his classic striking style, be enough to reclaim gold at UFC 305? Only time will tell.

Continue Reading Israel Adesanya Explains How He’ll Deal With Dricus Du Plessis’ ‘Uniqueness’ At UFC 305 at MMA News.

Israel Adesanya vows to beat opponents in ‘Fantastic fashion’ for remainder of UFC career

Israel Adesanya vows to beat every fighter in fantastic fashion before UFC career endsLooking to rebound to the winning circle at UFC 305 next month in a title clash with arch-rival, Dricus…

Israel Adesanya vows to beat every fighter in fantastic fashion before UFC career ends

Looking to rebound to the winning circle at UFC 305 next month in a title clash with arch-rival, Dricus du Plessis in Perth, former two-time middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya has vowed to lay waste to each and every one of his opponents in “fantastic fashion” before it’s all said and done.

Adesanya, a former two-time undisputed middlweight champion, is set to headline next month’s pay-per-view return ‘Dowunder’ – attempting to return to Australia in winning form this time around.

dricus ufc 305

Sidelined since September of last year, City Kickboxing star, Adesanya most recently dropped his middleweight crown for the second time in the space of a calendar year, in the form of a one-sided unanimous decision loss to Sean Strickland.

Israel Adesanya warns Dricus du Plessis with UFC 305 fight don't be afraid be terrified

Israel Adesanya vows to beat fighters in “fantastic fashion”

And drawing promotional-perfect Pretoria native, du Plessis at UFC 305 next month in a bid to become the first three-time champion in the history of the organization, Adesanya has vowed to beat each and every one of the last foes on his run in eye-catching fashion.

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“I fought the largest middleweight, Alex Pereira, and i knocked him out,” Israel Adesanya said on the Sias du Plessis Show. “How am I gonna deal with Dricus’ uniqueness? It’s just be unique myself. Be unique to who I am.”

“Never again will I ever stray away from my style or my flow just because I wanna do something different or pander or anything like that,” Israel Adesanya explained. “I’m always gonna stick to my style and stick to what I do best, which is beating people up in fantastic fashion. And, yeah, I’ve done that my whole career, and I wanna get back to that. I’m not really worried about the outcome. It’s more about the journey.”

Who wins next month at UFC 305: Dricus du Plessis or Israel Adesanya?

Chael Sonnen ‘Fascinated’ By Talk Of Ji?í Procházka Dropping To Middleweight: ‘Procházka vs. Du Plessis? You Have My Attention’

Former UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen is intrigued by the possibility of Ji?í Procházka joining the division he formerly competed in. Procházka is currently just over a week on from his latest outing at the UFC 303 pay-per-view, which saw his second failed bid to achieve two-time champion status on mixed martial arts’ biggest stage […]

Continue Reading Chael Sonnen ‘Fascinated’ By Talk Of Ji?í Procházka Dropping To Middleweight: ‘Procházka vs. Du Plessis? You Have My Attention’ at MMA News.

Former UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen is intrigued by the possibility of Ji?í Procházka joining the division he formerly competed in.

Procházka is currently just over a week on from his latest outing at the UFC 303 pay-per-view, which saw his second failed bid to achieve two-time champion status on mixed martial arts’ biggest stage play out.

Having had his light heavyweight reign brought to an end by a severe shoulder injury in late 2022, “BJP” returned in competition for the then-vacant belt at UFC 295 last November. On that night, Alex Pereira exited the cage with the gold in his possession, completing two-division glory in the process.

With both subsequently recording wins at UFC 300 this past April, they ran it back on short notice after the June 29 numbered event was left in desperate need of a headline savior.

The Czech star answered the call and looked to right the wrongs from his first showdown with “Poatan.” But unfortunately for the former champ, he was soundly beaten second time around.

In the aftermath, a disappointed Procházka admitted he needs to “evolve” as a fighter or simply not compete any longer. Separately, his coach pitched a drop to middleweight following his man’s latest setback at 205 pounds.

That idea appears to be one that gets a former title challenger in both divisions off his seat…

Sonnen ‘Loves’ The Idea Of Middleweight Procházka

During a video recently uploaded to his YouTube channel, Sonnen reacted to talk of Procházka possibly testing the middleweight waters down the line, a move that the former champ himself has previously insisted would be doable.

While he suggested a divisional switch is not a necessity for “BJP” despite his two defeats to the current light heavyweight kingpin, “The Bad Guy” did point out a number of mouthwatering matchups that could await the Czech star down at 185 pounds.

“Ji?í Procházka’s coach suggests the former champion should move down to middleweight. … Well, I don’t want to take on that coach or his opinion because he is damn good and he created a world champion there,” Sonnen said. “I believe what he is offering, in front of everything else, is that it is not time for Ji?í to retire. I agree with that, fully.

“I don’t believe there is a meaningful difference if you become a world champion in a different division. … Ji?í at 185, that is completely fascinating to me. I love that idea,” Sonnen continued. “I really don’t want to see Ji?í vs. Alex Pereira (again). I didn’t really want to see Ji?í vs. Alex Pereira last weekend. That’s just not the one that I was itching for. But I tell you what, Ji?í Procházka vs. Du Plessis? You have my attention. Ji?í Procházka vs. Sean Strickland, vs. Izzy Adesanya, wow, vs. Robert Whittaker, woah, things just got really interesting. Ji?í Procházka vs. Khamzat Chimaev! Ji?í at 185, I love this concept, but I’m not bothered by the concept of Ji?í staying at 205.”

It remains to be seen what Procházka’s plans are for the future and whether he shares his coach’s view on a middleweight move next.

But regardless, the always entertaining “BJP” is already back to his unique and unorthodox training regime back in Czechia.

Continue Reading Chael Sonnen ‘Fascinated’ By Talk Of Ji?í Procházka Dropping To Middleweight: ‘Procházka vs. Du Plessis? You Have My Attention’ at MMA News.

Dricus Du Plessis Recalls ‘Frustrating’ Sean Strickland Fight: ‘He Said Till Death & Just Walked Backwards’

Dricus Du Plessis recently looked back on the fight that saw him crowned as the UFC middleweight champion earlier this year. Du Plessis is currently gearing up for his first defense of the 185-pound title, which goes down (under) in Perth, Australia, as the UFC 305 pay-per-view main event next month. The South African will […]

Continue Reading Dricus Du Plessis Recalls ‘Frustrating’ Sean Strickland Fight: ‘He Said Till Death & Just Walked Backwards’ at MMA News.

Dricus Du Plessis recently looked back on the fight that saw him crowned as the UFC middleweight champion earlier this year.

Du Plessis is currently gearing up for his first defense of the 185-pound title, which goes down (under) in Perth, Australia, as the UFC 305 pay-per-view main event next month.

The South African will finally square off with Israel Adesanya close to a year on from their originally planned showdown. After upsetting Robert Whittaker, Du Plessis was expected to challenge “The Last Stylebender” at UFC 293 in Sydney last September.

But their rivalry — a sensitive and historical one born out of Du Plessis’ controversial comments regarding the UFC’s African champs — was put on the back burner after an injury to “Stillknocks.”

In his place, Sean Strickland made the long-haul flight to Australia and capitalized in emphatic fashion, outpointing Adesanya dominantly.

While that served as another delay in Adesanya vs. Du Plessis coming to fruition, the latter brought the matchup back to the surface when he rendered Strickland’s reign a short one at UFC 297 in Toronto this past January.

Du Plessis Describes Fighting ‘Very Tricky’ Strickland

During a recent appearance on the All Talk podcast, Du Plessis reflected on his experience fighting the unique style of Strickland in Canada six months ago.

After noting his former opponent’s shock win over Adesanya, the reigning champ outlined the difficulty that comes with fighting “Tarzan’s” unorthodox approach.

More than handling that, however, Du Plessis said his real agitation came when Strickland failed to deliver on his promise of a ‘fight-to-the-death’ war — a criticism that has since reared its head again after Strickland’s victory over Paulo Costa at UFC 302.

“(Strickland’s) a very tricky guy. He’s hard to hit, he has a sneaky jab — not a lot of power, but he hits the target and is really, really hard to catch,” Du Plessis said. “Let me say it this way, it was frustrating (to fight him) because he said, ‘Till death,’ and he just walked backwards the whole time. So that was a little frustrating.

“But I mean, he did catch me with that jab for the first two rounds the whole time,” Du Plessis continued. “To be honest, I felt the jabs and I just thought, ‘I’ll just go through them.’ All of a sudden, I just couldn’t see out of my eye anymore. I realized, ‘I have to start blocking these.’”

Having successfully gotten past Strickland’s style in narrow fashion, Du Plessis is next tasked with replicating his ex-rival’s feat from 2023.

After some heated interactions last year and a tense faceoff at the UFC 305 on-sale press conference last week, Du Plessis and Adesanya will finally throw down inside the cage on August 17 at Perth’s RAC Arena.

Continue Reading Dricus Du Plessis Recalls ‘Frustrating’ Sean Strickland Fight: ‘He Said Till Death & Just Walked Backwards’ at MMA News.

Dricus du Plessis claims Israel Adesanya should have retired from UFC by now: ‘I saw it in his eyes’

Dricus du Plessis claims Israel Adesanya should have retired last year I saw it in his eyesDricus du Plessis has claimed former two-time middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya should likely have called time on his career…

Dricus du Plessis claims Israel Adesanya should have retired last year I saw it in his eyes

Dricus du Plessis has claimed former two-time middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya should likely have called time on his career in mixed martial arts following his knockout loss to Alex Pereira – claiming he was aware of the City Kickboxing star’s intentions to end his career.

du Plessis, the current undisputed middleweight champion, returns to the Octagon next month in the main event of UFC 305, taking on the above-mentioned, Adesanya in a title showdown in Perth, Australia.

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Winning the undisputed crown at UFC 297 back in January of this year in a trip to Canada, du Plessis turned in a close, controversial split decision win over Sean Strickland – improving his unbeaten promotional record to 7-0.

For Adesanya, the former two-time middleweight titleholder has been sidelined since September of last year, himself suffering a one-sided unanimous decision loss to the previously mentioned, Strickland – in one of the biggest upset defeats in Octagon antiquity, 

dricus ufc 305

And sharing the stage earlier this month as part of a tense pre-fight press conference ahead of their UFC 305 clash, du Plessis and Adesanya shared some notable trash talk, with the South African poking fun at the former champion’s pet dog. 

Dricus du Plessis claims Israel Adesanya should have retired last year

Furthermore, in the time since, du Plessis has boldly proclaimed that he knew Adesanya was set to call time on his career in the sport – and insisted he likely should have already.

Israel Adesanya reveals he's getting ready for fighting return amid links to UFC 305 clash with Dricus du Plessis
Mandatory Credit: Jasmin Frank – USA TODAY Sports

“He (Israel Adesanya) knows it and the world knows it, he’s done great things in this sport – when it comes to as big as he’s going to get, he has been as big as he’s going to get in this sport,” Dricus du Plessis told Hello Sport. 

“When it comes to the title defenses, the winning streaks, that will never come again because he doesn’t have the time, so I think his biggest achievement for him personally was beating Alex Pereira. He had this nemesis who’s beaten him multiple times and after that fight, he was ready to call it quits – that’s what I saw in his eyes as well.”

Who do you think wins next month at UFC 305: Dricus du Plessis or Israel Adesanya?

Dricus Du Plessis On What He Saw In Israel Adesanya’s Eyes During Staredown: ‘Trying To Convince Himself He Still Wants To Do This’

UFC Middleweight Champion Dricus Du Plessis drew some conclusions from his long faceoff with Israel Adesanya last week. After a bitter feud dating back to the start of 2023, Du Plessis and Adesanya will finally have the chance to settle their grudge inside the Octagon at the upcoming UFC 305 pay-per-view in Perth, Australia, next […]

Continue Reading Dricus Du Plessis On What He Saw In Israel Adesanya’s Eyes During Staredown: ‘Trying To Convince Himself He Still Wants To Do This’ at MMA News.

UFC Middleweight Champion Dricus Du Plessis drew some conclusions from his long faceoff with Israel Adesanya last week.

After a bitter feud dating back to the start of 2023, Du Plessis and Adesanya will finally have the chance to settle their grudge inside the Octagon at the upcoming UFC 305 pay-per-view in Perth, Australia, next month.

Having been unable to make the turnaround post-beating Robert Whittaker to face “The Last Stylebender” in Sydney last September, “Stillknocks” set this bout up once again by dethroning Sean Strickland months after he upset Adesanya Down Under.

With their long-awaited showdown just over a month away, Du Plessis and his challenger went face to face in Perth for an on-sale press conference.

Following some firm words with microphone in hand, the pair engaged in one of the lengthiest and most intense faceoffs in recent memory. And according to the champ, he learned a thing or two from it…

Du Plessis Saw Uncertainty In Adesanya’s Eyes During Perth Faceoff

During a recent appearance on the All Talk podcast, Du Plessis looked ahead to his opening defense of the middleweight title and reflected on his first in-person interaction with Adesanya during the UFC 305 buildup.

The South African spoke about the importance of pre-fight faceoffs, even branding them the first part of a bout. And given what he claims to have seen in the eyes of Adesanya, the champ evidently believes round one went to him.

“Once I get into that zone for any staredown, there’s no humor in that. That’s when things get serious. That’s part of the fight right there, winning that exchange,” Du Plessis said. “Almost a theme for me in this whole fight is seeing that Israel Adesanya…he has done great things in this sport. But when it comes to as big as he’s gonna get, he has been as big as he’s gonna get. When it comes to the title defenses and the winning streaks, that will never come again because he doesn’t have the time.

“His biggest achievement for him personally was beating Alex Pereira. He had this nemesis who’s beaten him multiple times. And after that fight, he was ready to call it quits,” Du Plessis continued. “That’s what I saw in his eyes as well; trying to convince me but more so trying to convince himself that he still wants to do this and that he still has what it takes to be the best fighter in the world. As soon as you’re asking yourself that question, you’re in a dark place.”

Whether or not Du Plessis draws the same conclusion when they go face to face again when fight week rolls around in Perth remains to be seen.

But given his golf jibe relating to retirement during the recent presser, it would appear that “Stillknocks” sees Adesanya having one foot out the door ahead of his first fight in 11 months.

Continue Reading Dricus Du Plessis On What He Saw In Israel Adesanya’s Eyes During Staredown: ‘Trying To Convince Himself He Still Wants To Do This’ at MMA News.