Tag: Israel Adesanya

The leadup to UFC 305 between Dricus Du Plessis and Israel Adesanya was a bad-blood affair filled with trash-talking about colonialism and a person’s roots. But, after the fight, the two athletes showed respect to one another and sealed it with a kiss.

Dricus Du Plessis and Israel Adesanya End Rivalry with a Kiss

“The Last Stylebender” Israel Adesanya is a Nigerian-Kiwi fighter who proudly represents his home nation of Nigeria and the continent of Africa. Along with Francis Ngannou and Kamaru Usman, these athletes called themselves the three kings of Africa when all of them held UFC titles.

In the leadup to the fight, Adesanya criticized Du Plessis for not being an African as he is a white person. Stillknocks” Dricus Du Plessis was confused as he was born in South Africa where he still resides to this day. In response, the South African fighter countered by saying Adesanya grew up wealthy.

After four rounds of action, in a closely fought back-and-forth fight, Dricus Du Plessis was able to defend his middleweight crown against the former division champion by fourth-round submission. “The Last Stylebender” was graceful and said that tonight Africa won. Du Plessis said that Adesanya is a legend and it was an honor fighting him, he also gifted his opponent a jacket from South Africa.

After the fight, while in the cage, the two hugged, and Israel Adesanya kissed his fingers and placed them on Dricus Du Plessis’s lips which caused both to laugh. See the video below:

Dricus Du Plessis was congratulated on his win by the president of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa. His next middleweight bout is likely a rematch against Sean Strickland, the man he originally took the middleweight crown from. Other top contenders include the winner of Robert Whittaker and Khamzat Chimaev who are booked for UFC 308.

This is the stats breakdown for Dricus Du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya, the middleweight title fight that went down at UFC 305. “Stillknocks” Du Plessis, of South Africa, was able to get his hand raised after a submission in the fourth round.

But, the ending does not tell the full story. Dricus Du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya was a closely contested matchup with the challenger out-landing the champion, but the division king controlled his domain on the ground. So let’s take a closer look at Dricus Du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya.

Dricus Du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya – Stats

Dricus Du Plessis landed 90 out of 197 significant strikes, achieving a 45% accuracy rate, while Israel Adesanya landed 97 out of 203 significant strikes, with a 47% accuracy rate. In terms of total strikes, Du Plessis landed 99 out of 206, and Adesanya landed 105 out of 211.

Du Plessis also attempted more takedowns, looking to control the kickboxer by going to the ground. He completed 4 out of 9, and the Nigerian-Kiwi fighter was often able to work back to his feet. In terms of control time, Du Plessis was well ahead with 3 minutes and 39 seconds compared to Adesanya’s 9 seconds, who was only grappling defensively.

Adesanya targeted the body more frequently, landing 26% of his strikes to the body compared to Du Plessis’s 7%. For leg strikes, Du Plessis landed 24%, while Adesanya landed 8%. Du Plessis focused his significant strikes primarily on the head, landing 67% of his strikes there, compared to Adesanya’s 64%.

Dricus Du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya – Round by Round

In Round 1, both fighters were evenly matched, with Du Plessis landing 22 out of 52 significant strikes (42% accuracy) and Adesanya landing 16 out of 37 (43% accuracy). Most of Du Plessis’s strikes landed this round were leg kicks with a total of 12. Neither fighter attempted a takedown. Judges were split on scoring this round.

In Round 2, Adesanya slightly outperformed Du Plessis in significant strikes, landing 17 out of 30 (56% accuracy) compared to Du Plessis’s 13 out of 25 (52% accuracy). Du Plessis attempted five takedowns, successfully landing three. Du Plessis also had one submission attempt and controlled the fight for 3 minutes and 28 seconds. While Adesanya out-landed his opponent, the grappling success of Du Plessis gave him the round.

In round 3, the former champion began finding his range and was landing well, especially digging punches to the body which were the best strikes of the entire fight. This round saw Du Plessis landing 31 out of 75 significant strikes (41% accuracy) and Adesanya landing 40 out of 83 (48% accuracy). Neither fighter attempted a takedown.

Round 4 ended the fight as Du Plessis secured a takedown, advanced position, took Adesanya’s back, and submitted him.

Dricus Du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya – Judges Scorecards

Here are the judges’ scorecards for the UFC 305 main event – Dricus Du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya.