Tag: UFC 305

Brendan Allen Highlights What ‘Insanely Lucky’ Dricus Du Plessis’ UFC 305 Defense Against Israel Adesanya Will Come Down To (Exclusive)

UFC middleweight contender Brendan Allen believes the result of Dricus Du Plessis’ upcoming first title defense will be determined by which version of Israel Adesanya shows up. Seven months on from reaching the throne with his perfect UFC record intact, Du Plessis will look to add another achievement to his ever-growing résumé on mixed martial […]

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UFC middleweight contender Brendan Allen believes the result of Dricus Du Plessis’ upcoming first title defense will be determined by which version of Israel Adesanya shows up.

Seven months on from reaching the throne with his perfect UFC record intact, Du Plessis will look to add another achievement to his ever-growing résumé on mixed martial arts’ biggest stage by successfully defending the title for the first time.

To do so, the South African is tasked with stalling the three-time ambitions of Adesanya in the main event of Saturday’s UFC 305 pay-per-view, set for the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia.

In the lead-up to his comeback from an 11-month layoff post-shock defeat to Sean Strickland, Adesanya has dismissed regaining the 185-pound gold as being his focus, instead stating that he’s back to “take heads.”

Whatever his motivation is, Allen thinks it has to be strong enough to bring back the formidable Adesanya who got the better of names like Alex Pereira and Paulo Costa if he’s to have his hand raised on August 17…

Allen On Du Plessis vs. Adesanya: ‘If It’s The Motivated Izzy…’

During a recent interview with MMA News’ Ryan Jarrell, Allen looked ahead to the upcoming championship contest in his division.

The #7-ranked contender suggested the result will be determined by which iteration of Adesanya returns to action. Rejuvenated and motivated? ‘And new’. Lackluster? ‘And still’.

“To be honest, I really don’t care (who wins). I don’t like either one of them,” Allen told MMA News. “I’m gonna watch it, of course, because I want to see. But I don’t care. I think we’ll see what Izzy comes back and how he’s been. I think that’s a big tell; what Izzy comes back. Is it a resurged, re-energized Izzy? Or is it like, ‘I don’t know if I wanna be here.’ It’s easy to talk it, it’s easy to watch it, it’s easy to fake it. But you can’t fake it when it’s fight time. That’s the only time we’ll know for sure.

“Obviously Dricus is super confident. He’s at the height of his career. He’s insanely confident, insanely lucky,” Allen continued. “I don’t know, man. I don’t really care who wins. To me, it just depends which Izzy comes back. if it’s the motivated Izzy, I would say Izzy. If it’s the Izzy that fought like, Paulo or Alex the last time, that Izzy is a tough Izzy to beat, man. … If it’s the lackluster one, i don’t think he’s gonna win. Dricus is just gonna keep pushing the pace.”

Allen will be hoping to book his spot opposite the winner down the line by having his hand raised at the expense of Nassourdine Imavov in Paris next month. Success in that regard would leave “All In” on an eight-fight win streak.

But before attention on the middleweight division turns to that co-headliner in the French capital this fall, all eyes are on the impending grudge match between Du Plessis and Adesanya Down Under.

Continue Reading Brendan Allen Highlights What ‘Insanely Lucky’ Dricus Du Plessis’ UFC 305 Defense Against Israel Adesanya Will Come Down To (Exclusive) at MMA News.

PHOTOS: Dricus Du Plessis & Israel Adesanya’s Custom Shorts For UFC 305

UFC 305 headliners Dricus Du Plessis and Israel Adesanya will be the latest to enter the Octagon with custom-designed fight gear. For a while, featherweight contender Bryce Mitchell marked the only athlete who made the walk in custom shorts, donning his camouflage gear to the cage. This year, however, the promotion and its uniform partner […]

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UFC 305 headliners Dricus Du Plessis and Israel Adesanya will be the latest to enter the Octagon with custom-designed fight gear.

For a while, featherweight contender Bryce Mitchell marked the only athlete who made the walk in custom shorts, donning his camouflage gear to the cage. This year, however, the promotion and its uniform partner Venum have expanded that in a big way.

UFC Bantamweight Champion Sean O’Malley was the first in 2024, receiving bright pink shorts for his title defense against Marlon Vera in Miami this past March. The following month, Alex Pereira, Zhang Weili, Justin Gaethje, and Max Holloway all wore custom kits at the milestone UFC 300 event at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena.

Dustin Poirier was next with floral shorts at UFC 302, while UFC 303 later in June saw Ian Garry in purple gear. Last month, meanwhile, saw Leon Edwards and Paddy Pimblett given custom gear for their home fights at UFC 304 in Manchester.

The initiative shows no signs of slowing, and the latest reveal ahead of the UFC 305 pay-per-view has displayed the shorts that will be worn by Du Plessis and Adesanya as they duke it out for the middleweight championship.

“Stillknocks” and “The Last Stylebender” will look to settle their grudge from last year when they headline this weekend’s event in Perth, Australia.

While they top the lineup with gold on the line, the likes of former flyweight title challenger Steve Erceg, lightweight fan favorite Dan Hooker, and hard-hitting heavyweight Tai Tuivasa will also be among those in action.

MMA Fans React To Du Plessis, Adesanya’s Custom UFC 305 Shorts: ‘Best Ones So Far’

Plenty in the mixed martial arts community flocked to social media to give their thoughts on the latest custom shorts. And by the looks of things, the designs went down well…

Continue Reading PHOTOS: Dricus Du Plessis & Israel Adesanya’s Custom Shorts For UFC 305 at MMA News.

Robert Whittaker On The ‘Million Dollar Question’ That Could Determine Who Wins UFC 305 Main Event

Robert Whittaker has his eyes firmly set on the upcoming middleweight title clash between Dricus Du Plessis and Israel Adesanya, which will headline UFC 305, and for good reason. Recently, he shared his thoughts on how this highly anticipated bout might unfold. “Stillknocks” is poised to put his middleweight title on the line for the […]

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Robert Whittaker has his eyes firmly set on the upcoming middleweight title clash between Dricus Du Plessis and Israel Adesanya, which will headline UFC 305, and for good reason. Recently, he shared his thoughts on how this highly anticipated bout might unfold.

“Stillknocks” is poised to put his middleweight title on the line for the first time in a rivalry-fueled showdown against Adesanya, scheduled for this weekend at the RAC Arena in Perth, Western Australia.

Du Plessis was initially lined up to face Adesanya following his knockout win over Whittaker at UFC 290 in July 2023. However, destiny intervened, as an injury sidelined the undefeated South African contender. Meanwhile, “The Last Stylebender” suffered a shocking loss, surrendering his title to Strickland at UFC 293 last September.

Du Plessis marked his victorious comeback by edging out Strickland in a split decision, capturing the 185-pound title at UFC 297 this past January. With renewed confidence, he has boldly declared his belief that he will defeat Adesanya, who is returning to the Octagon after an 11-month self-imposed hiatus—the longest break of his UFC career.

If that scenario unfolds, “Stillknocks” has hinted that his next title defense will likely be against the winner of Whittaker’s upcoming clash with the undefeated Khamzat Chimaev, scheduled for UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi on October 26.

Having squared off against both UFC 305 main eventers—especially Adesanya, whom he’s faced twice—”The Reaper” possesses a rare perspective on the hurdles each will likely face when they clash in the Octagon this Saturday night…

Whittaker Predicts Adesanya’s Lessons From Strickland Loss Could Affect Du Plessis Bout

During a recent appearance on the MMArcade Podcast, Whittaker delved into the upcoming clash between Du Plessis and Adesanya, noting that it’s hard for him to predict a clear winner. The former UFC middleweight champion pointed out that both fighters last stepped into the Octagon against Strickland, but their contrasting strategies led to very different results.

“I guess it’s very hard to put a hard pick on either one of them,” Whittaker said. “But I’ll say all we can look at is historically, like their previous fights. Dricus, in his last fight against Strickland, moved forward, put pressure on Strickland, didn’t let Strickland do that to him, shut his game down, was very aggressive, created that space, and didn’t let Strickland really find the rhythm that he likes to fight in.

Strickland, prior to that fight, fought Adesanya and did exactly that to Israel—pushed into his space and didn’t allow Adesanya to utilize that dangerous space that he likes fighting in. He crowded him to a point where he didn’t let him have any free distancing from the fence so that he could move away. He kept Adesanya’s back to the fence for 90% of the fight and beat Adesanya by decision.”

“The Reaper” went on to highlight that a pivotal aspect of this fight will be whether Adesanya has fine-tuned his skills during his time off after the loss to Strickland. He noted that it will be crucial to see if Adesanya can effectively counter Du Plessis’ relentless pressure and close-quarters exchanges.

“Dricus was able to push that plan against Strickland that Strickland was able to push against Adesanya, so you would have to think Dricus is going to push that same plan on Adesanya. And I guess the million-dollar question is, what has Izzy done in his layoff since the Strickland fight to make sure that doesn’t happen again? Because you can bet your bottom dollar Dricus is going to push into that.”

Continue Reading Robert Whittaker On The ‘Million Dollar Question’ That Could Determine Who Wins UFC 305 Main Event at MMA News.

Alexander Volkanovski Feels UFC 305 Main Card Fighter Is ‘Due’ For A ‘Big KO Finish’: ‘Very Dangerous On The Feet…’

The UFC is headed back down under this weekend for UFC 305 which takes place in Perth, Australia on August 17. As expected, there’s a lot of Australasian representatives on the card in some big fights and that’s certainly the case for heavyweight fan favorite Tai Tuivasa. The Aussie slugger was on a great run […]

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The UFC is headed back down under this weekend for UFC 305 which takes place in Perth, Australia on August 17.

As expected, there’s a lot of Australasian representatives on the card in some big fights and that’s certainly the case for heavyweight fan favorite Tai Tuivasa.

The Aussie slugger was on a great run of results heading into his main event clash with Ciryl Gane in September of 2022, following five consecutive stoppage victories.

Since suffering a defeat to Gane, he is winless inside the Octagon and has lost four in a row with two coming via knockout and the other two by submission.

Tuivasa now finds himself in a spot where he needs to get back in the win column and fortunately for him, he’s in a match-up that should suit him.

Alexander Volkanovski Picks Tai Tuivasa To Bounce Back In A Big Way At UFC 305

Tuivasa is set to meet fellow heavyweight striker and knockout artist Jairzinho Rozenstruik this weekend as top 15 heavyweights throw down in Perth.

During his recent breakdown of the card, former UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski predicted a big win for Tuivasa to silence the critics.

He highlighted how despite “Bam Bam” coming in as the underdog this time around, he’s in a good position to cause an upset with his back against the wall and the Australian fans behind him.

“Home crowd, against a striker, I like them odds. I like them odds. Again, Rozenstruik is an incredible striker, I think he did a lot of kickboxing even before UFC so he’s no easy fight but I mean I feel like Tai Tuivasa is going to come out and land a finish. I think he can get the big KO finish. He’s due for one so I’m going to go ‘Bam Bam’. Again, everyone loves ‘Bam Bam’ and another way to keep this big day of fights in Perth rolling is a big ‘Bam Bam’ knockout and shoey afterwards.”

Read also: Serghei Spivac Gives Short & Sweet Response To Jailton Almeida’s Callout Following His UFC Fight Night Main Event Win

Continue Reading Alexander Volkanovski Feels UFC 305 Main Card Fighter Is ‘Due’ For A ‘Big KO Finish’: ‘Very Dangerous On The Feet…’ at MMA News.

Rising UFC Middleweight Contender Predicts UFC 305: Du Plessis vs Adesanya: ‘The Two Styles Don’t Match At All…’

One of the biggest fights of the year goes down this weekend at UFC 305 when Dricus Du Plessis looks to defend the middleweight title against Israel Adesanya. The two men have been on a collision course with one another for some time now, with all roads eventually leading to Perth, Australia on August 17. […]

Continue Reading Rising UFC Middleweight Contender Predicts UFC 305: Du Plessis vs Adesanya: ‘The Two Styles Don’t Match At All…’ at MMA News.

One of the biggest fights of the year goes down this weekend at UFC 305 when Dricus Du Plessis looks to defend the middleweight title against Israel Adesanya.

The two men have been on a collision course with one another for some time now, with all roads eventually leading to Perth, Australia on August 17.

However, an interesting match-up doesn’t always make for the greatest of fights, especially when you have someone that is as skilled in one area as Adesanya.

The former two-time champion presents a difficult test for Du Plessis who usually relies on his power, aggression and output to get his hand raised. which won’t be easy against the precision striking of “The Last Stylebender”.

One of the division’s most exciting contenders believes that the clash of styles will end up going the way of the challenger.

Caio Borralho Believes That Israel Adesanya Has The Advantage In This Style Match-up

In a recent interview with Kevin Iole, Caio Borralho said that he believes Adesanya’s style will be a perfect counter to the constant forward motion of the champion.

Borralho has gone 6-0 in the middleweight division and will now look to put himself in the title picture when he faces Jared Cannonier in his first main event spotlight.

He sees that unlike what Sean Strickland was able to do against Adesanya in the shock upset at UFC 293 last year, Du Plessis doesn’t have the right style to stop the former champ from reclaiming the top spot.

“I think this time, I think Adesanya is going to win this fight. I think stylistically, the two styles doesn’t match a little, doesn’t match at all. I think Dricus just goes forward, try to punch and push the pace up, but I think Israel Adesanya is going to manage the distance all the time, circle up and kick a lot on Dricus and I think he can win by decision during the fifth round or maybe a good knockout in the third round if Dricus gets tired.”

Read also: Sean Strickland’s Coach Breaks Down Du Plessis vs. Adesanya: ‘You’re Not Gonna Find Many People That Fight Like Him…’

Continue Reading Rising UFC Middleweight Contender Predicts UFC 305: Du Plessis vs Adesanya: ‘The Two Styles Don’t Match At All…’ at MMA News.

Steve Erceg Highlights Biggest Lesson Learned From Alexandre Pantoja Title Loss Ahead Of UFC 305 Return

Having narrowly fallen short of the UFC flyweight title three months ago, Steve Erceg is returning to action with the knowledge that he can compete with the elite of the division. Erceg, who currently occupies the #7 spot at 125 pounds, will be among the home fighters featuring at this weekend’s UFC 305 pay-per-view, which […]

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Having narrowly fallen short of the UFC flyweight title three months ago, Steve Erceg is returning to action with the knowledge that he can compete with the elite of the division.

Erceg, who currently occupies the #7 spot at 125 pounds, will be among the home fighters featuring at this weekend’s UFC 305 pay-per-view, which goes down inside the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia.

“AstroBoy” has been able to make a relatively quick turnaround to compete in his city, returning after emerging from Brazil without the flyweight title in his possession this past May.

The 29-year-old received a surprise title shot after just three fights in the UFC, looking to cash in on favorable circumstances at the expense of champion Alexandre Pantoja in the UFC 301 main event.

While unsuccessful in that endeavor, Erceg had plenty of positives to take away from the five-round defeat, and he’ll carry them into his return against Kai Kara-France on August 17…

Erceg On UFC 301 Loss: ‘I Learned That I Am Near The Top’

During a recent interview with New York Post Sports, Erceg looked ahead to his fifth outing on MMA’s biggest stage and chance to bounce back from his first UFC defeat.

When asked about his opening experience competing with UFC gold on the line, “AstroBoy” spoke of the added confidence he has having proven that he can hang with the best possible opposition in the flyweight division.

“I learned that I am near the top of the division,” Erceg said. “I always believed it, but even though I lost, the fact I was able to go five rounds, I did get up, he didn’t take my back, I was able to land; there was a lot of good things that came out of it.

“Also, obviously, a lot of things that I did wrong or he did well that I have to improve so that next time I get an opportunity like that, I can go there not as a good effort, but as a world champion,” Erceg continued. “That’s probably the biggest things I learned.”

Erceg’s first step toward working his way back toward Pantoja and the gold in “The Cannibal’s” possession comes this weekend.

And with a leading contender in Muhammad Mokaev being removed from the picture after his shock exit from the UFC, “AstroBoy” may not be far from a second shot given the competitive nature of his performance in Rio de Janeiro and the high ranking of his next opponent.

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