UFC 305 | UFC Betting Sites - The Best MMA Online Bookies

Darren Till plots UFC return, Dricus du Plessis rematch: ‘I might come back just to beat him’

Darren Till plots UFC return, Dricus du Plessis rematch: 'I might come back just to beat him' Eagerly watching on at UFC 305 over the course of the weekend, former title challenger, Darren Till has claimed…

Eagerly watching on at UFC 305 over the course of the weekend, former title challenger, Darren Till has claimed he would consider a return to the Octagon to take on incumbent middleweight champion, Dricus du Plessis – beating him and then leaving once more.

Till, a former undisputed welterweight title challenger, departed the promotion at the beginning of last year – upon his own request as he dealt with a slew of recurring injuries.

Without a walk in mixed martial arts since the December of the prior year, Liverpool striker, Darren Till dropped a stunning third round neck crank submission loss to then-contender, du Plessis – in another defeat for the former welterweight star since his move to the middleweight limit.

Over the course of the weekend, du Plessis, who is yet to suffer defeat in the promotion, turned in the first successful defense of his middleweight crown – stopping former two-time champion, Israel Adesanya in a stunning fourth round rear-naked choke win in Perth in the main event of UFC 305.

Darren Till eyes rematch with Dricus du Plessis after UFC 305

And jabbing at Team Kaobon striker, Till in the immediate aftermath of his submission of Adesanya – who offered du Plessis advice on how to beat the City Kickboxing star, the former Octagon favorite has now vowed to return to action to topple the Pretoria native.

“I might come back the (sic) UFC just to beat DDP & leave again,” Darren Till posted on his official X account. “What you saying @danawhite Hunter.”

I might come back the UFC just to beat DDP & leave again.
What you saying @danawhite Hunter?

— DT (@darrentill2) August 19, 2024

Hit with a slew of fight offers in the aftermath of his win against Adesanya, du Plessis weighed up a rematch with already-pegged top-contender, Sean Strickland – as well as former middleweight gold holder, Alex Pereira.

The Brazilian has since achieved gold at the light heavyweight limit, but stunningly offered to make one final 185lbs appearance to take on South African champion, du Plessis.

Classy Kamaru Usman Reacts To Du Plessis’ UFC 305 Win: ‘We’ve Moved On From Three Kings To Four Horsemen’

Kamaru Usman recently expressed his views on Dricus Du Plessis’ impressive win over Israel Adesanya at UFC 305. “Stillknocks” retained his UFC middleweight championship in commanding style last weekend, submitting Adesanya with a fourth-round rear-naked choke in a thrilling contest at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. In a fiercely contested bout where neither fighter […]

Continue Reading Classy Kamaru Usman Reacts To Du Plessis’ UFC 305 Win: ‘We’ve Moved On From Three Kings To Four Horsemen’ at MMA News.

Kamaru Usman recently expressed his views on Dricus Du Plessis’ impressive win over Israel Adesanya at UFC 305.

“Stillknocks” retained his UFC middleweight championship in commanding style last weekend, submitting Adesanya with a fourth-round rear-naked choke in a thrilling contest at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia.

In a fiercely contested bout where neither fighter held back, Du Plessis displayed remarkable grit and determination. As the fight entered the championship rounds, the South African unleashed a relentless flurry of punches that left “The Last Stylebender” reeling. Seizing the momentum, the defending champion secured a takedown and swiftly transitioned to lock in a decisive submission.

Despite a rivalry that had flared up and taken an ugly turn on multiple occasions, Du Plessis and Adesanya finally put their animosity to rest after their historic clash. The bout, steeped in a fierce cultural clash narrative, marked the UFC’s first-ever all-African title fight.

Adesanya, originally born in Lagos, Nigeria, and later relocating to New Zealand at a young age, had previously accused Du Plessis of undermining the legacy of the “African Kings”. This tension began when “Stillknocks” had boldly claimed he wanted to be the ‘real’ African UFC champion.

The title of “African Kings” was a prestigious moniker bestowed upon Adesanya, alongside Usman and Francis Ngannou, during a time when the trio simultaneously held UFC belts, representing the continent on the global stage.

“The Nigerian Nightmare” provided a nuanced perspective about the heated feud heading into UFC 305 and also his thoughts on where Du Plessis fits into UFC’s African elite.

Usman Includes Du Plessis In UFC’s African Elite

During a recent episode of the Pound 4 Pound podcast with Henry Cejudo, Usman delved into Du Plessis’ victory over Adesanya at UFC 305. However, the conversation quickly escalated into a lively debate when the former UFC welterweight champion voiced his displeasure over Cejudo’s lighthearted remark – where he dubbed Du Plessis the “Real African King.”

“I understand it was a whole marketing thing for Dricus Du Plessis, which he might not have necessarily meant in the way that Israel might have taken it,” Usman said. “But you have to be careful because it’s dangerous—it’s very, very dangerous. You have to be careful with what you say because now we’re in a position to influence the masses in the world. So, with power—I say it all the time—with great power comes great responsibility. When you have that platform and you have that mic in your hand, you have to be careful with what you say.”

“The Nigerian Nightmare” went on to emphasize that Du Plessis is actually the fourth African champion.

“So to say, ‘Oh, I’m the real African,’ that’s completely crazy. And for you [Cejudo] to say that perpetually, ‘Oh, he’s the real African king,’ I know you’re just joking, but it’s not—this is how division continues to be perpetuated. Dricus Du Plessis is the fourth African champion right now, so there are four horsemen. We’ve moved on from the three kings to where now it’s four horsemen. So to continue to perpetuate this whole ‘Oh, African king’ or this or that, that’s ridiculous.”

Read More: 5 Positives & 3 Negatives From UFC 305: Dricus Du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya

Continue Reading Classy Kamaru Usman Reacts To Du Plessis’ UFC 305 Win: ‘We’ve Moved On From Three Kings To Four Horsemen’ at MMA News.

Classy Kamaru Usman Reacts To Du Plessis’ UFC 305 Win: ‘We’ve Moved On From Three Kings To Four Horsemen’

Continue Reading Classy Kamaru Usman Reacts To Du Plessis’ UFC 305 Win: ‘We’ve Moved On From Three Kings To Four Horsemen’ at MMA News.

Kamaru Usman recently expressed his views on Dricus Du Plessis’ impressive win over Israel Adesanya at UFC 305.

“The Nigerian Nightmare” provided a nuanced perspective about the heated feud heading into UFC 305 and also his thoughts on where Du Plessis fits into UFC’s African elite.

Usman Includes Du Plessis In UFC’s African Elite

“I understand it was a whole marketing thing for Dricus Du Plessis, which he might not have necessarily meant in the way that Israel might have taken it,” Usman said. “But you have to be careful because it’s dangerous—it’s very, very dangerous. You have to be careful with what you say because now we’re in a position to influence the masses in the world. So, with power—I say it all the time—with great power comes great responsibility. When you have that platform and you have that mic in your hand, you have to be careful with what you say.”

“The Nigerian Nightmare” went on to emphasize that Du Plessis is actually the fourth African champion.

“So to say, ‘Oh, I’m the real African,’ that’s completely crazy. And for you [Cejudo] to say that perpetually, ‘Oh, he’s the real African king,’ I know you’re just joking, but it’s not—this is how division continues to be perpetuated. Dricus Du Plessis is the fourth African champion right now, so there are four horsemen. We’ve moved on from the three kings to where now it’s four horsemen. So to continue to perpetuate this whole ‘Oh, African king’ or this or that, that’s ridiculous.”

Read More: 5 Positives & 3 Negatives From UFC 305: Dricus Du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya

Continue Reading Classy Kamaru Usman Reacts To Du Plessis’ UFC 305 Win: ‘We’ve Moved On From Three Kings To Four Horsemen’ at MMA News.

Aljamain Sterling Explains Why Kai Kara-France’s Win Over Steve Erceg Was A Bad Stoppage

Kai Kara-France made a real statement with his performance in the co-main event this past Saturday night in Perth. It was a battle of top flyweight contenders at UFC 305 and “Don’t Blink” showed why he still belongs in title contention following consecutive defeats. He was able to stop Perth’s own Steve Erceg in the […]

Continue Reading Aljamain Sterling Explains Why Kai Kara-France’s Win Over Steve Erceg Was A Bad Stoppage at MMA News.

Kai Kara-France made a real statement with his performance in the co-main event this past Saturday night in Perth.

It was a battle of top flyweight contenders at UFC 305 and “Don’t Blink” showed why he still belongs in title contention following consecutive defeats.

He was able to stop Perth’s own Steve Erceg in the opening round, after dropping him with a huge overhand shot that caught the former title challenger clean.

Some follow-up strikes led to him earning a performance bonus for his third knockout or TKO win in the UFC’s 125-pound weight class.

While it was undoubtedly one of the highlights of the night, a former champion did have a point to address after seeing the stoppage.

Aljamain Sterling Says Steve Erceg Was Still Intelligently Defending Himself At The Time Of UFC 305 Stoppage

In his post-UFC 305 breakdown on his YouTube channel, former bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling discussed the stoppage in this fight.

“Funk Master” has spoken before about his loss to Sean O’Malley at UFC 292, where he believes the referee jumped in too early when he was still intelligently defending himself despite taking some follow-up strikes after being dropped.

Sterling made the same case for Erceg in this fight after seeing how, in his opinion, “Astro Boy” was still in the fight even though his opponent was putting strikes together to get the finish.

“Now, the stoppage was a little odd for me. Like yeah he was hurt beforehand but then he’s starting to recover. My only gripe with the stoppage is you see the guy turn and you see him cover and then you see him trying to get up, he gets hit once, like let him eat a couple because it’s not like it’s catching him clean on the chin right? That would be clear, you’re not intelligently defending yourself but if you at least are smart enough to put an arm up, it’s like, ‘Hey, this is better here. It might rattle my head a little bit but it’s better here than just taking clean shots to the dome.’

“If you can be conscious enough to do that, I think the refs should pay attention to those scenarios. Yes, the whole sequence, I’m not a ref. I’m not a ref but from a fighter’s standpoint, we think about these things and I don’t even think Erceg even like really was protesting or anything but I’m sure he was still in the back of his mind like, ‘I don’t want to be that guy but I’m still kinda annoyed because I could have maybe fought through that and weathered the storm.’ Who knows, we would never know now.”

Continue Reading Aljamain Sterling Explains Why Kai Kara-France’s Win Over Steve Erceg Was A Bad Stoppage at MMA News.

Dricus Du Plessis Kicks Steve Erceg When He’s Down After UFC 305 Loss For Labeling Him A ‘6/10 Fighter’

Dricus Du Plessis has always had his fair share of critics during his UFC run, despite being undefeated inside the Octagon. During his climb up the middleweight ladder, many were critical of his ability to fight at a constant pace over three rounds due to him becoming visibly tired in some of his earlier fights. […]

Continue Reading Dricus Du Plessis Kicks Steve Erceg When He’s Down After UFC 305 Loss For Labeling Him A ‘6/10 Fighter’ at MMA News.

Dricus Du Plessis has always had his fair share of critics during his UFC run, despite being undefeated inside the Octagon.

During his climb up the middleweight ladder, many were critical of his ability to fight at a constant pace over three rounds due to him becoming visibly tired in some of his earlier fights.

Even since there has been an improvement from “Stillknocks” in this area, there is often conversation about his unorthodox, and at times reckless-appearing approach which lacks finesse – but has been incredibly effective for him.

This was case and point in the main event of UFC 305 this past weekend where he was able to walk down and catch Israel Adesanya with big looping punches to hurt him and find the submission win in the fourth round.

Unfortunately for those that don’t rate the champion’s technique, he has been keeping receipts.

Dricus Du Plessis Reminds Steve Erceg Of His Criticism After UFC 305

After successfully defending the middleweight title for the first time, Du Plessis made sure to circle back to a few people who had doubted him or talked down on his ability during fight week.

There are clear elements of his game that you wouldn’t necessarily teach a young fighter but the champ knows how to make it work for him.

One of the criticisms that clearly he took notice of was Steve Erceg labelling him as a 6/10 overall fighter due to some of his more unpredictable tendencies.

Erceg was stopped in front of his home fans in Perth this past weekend with Kai Kara-France securing a massive first-round win in the co-main event.

Via his Instagram story, Du Plessis took a moment to remind the former flyweight title challenger of what he had said after they ended up on opposite sides of the win column on August 17.

MMA fans reacted to the champion getting the last word in via social media.

“Dude has all the receipts. He’s coming for everyone.”

Dude has all the receipts. He's coming for everyone.

— Brax Moore (@brax_moore_more) August 19, 2024

“this guy is against the whole world right now”

“Tbf erceg gave himself a 7, it seems like he just has a really high bar”

“If everyone doubted me like how they did I’d come back for everyone too”

Continue Reading Dricus Du Plessis Kicks Steve Erceg When He’s Down After UFC 305 Loss For Labeling Him A ‘6/10 Fighter’ at MMA News.

Dan Hooker Admits McGregor Callout Intended To ‘Snake’ Michael Chandler: ‘He Waits All That Time & Conor Fights Me Anyway…’

Dan Hooker delivered one of the stand out performances at UFC 305 to ascend up the lightweight division by beating Mateusz Gamrot. It’s been some time since “The Hangman” was in the mix at the top of the 155-pound weight class but that is certainly the case after he pulled off the underdog win over […]

Continue Reading Dan Hooker Admits McGregor Callout Intended To ‘Snake’ Michael Chandler: ‘He Waits All That Time & Conor Fights Me Anyway…’ at MMA News.

Dan Hooker delivered one of the stand out performances at UFC 305 to ascend up the lightweight division by beating Mateusz Gamrot.

It’s been some time since “The Hangman” was in the mix at the top of the 155-pound weight class but that is certainly the case after he pulled off the underdog win over one of the top contenders.

In his post-fight interview following the Fight of the Night clash, Hooker spoke about the number of exciting options that he now wants to chase down after this win.

Part of his declaration to the matchmakers sitting cage side included Conor McGregor, which took some by surprise.

“Look at me now! I want them all brother! I want the BMF, I want Conor McGregor, I want a title eliminator, I want everything brother! I want it all Sean, I want it all Hunter!”

Dan Hooker Explains “Troll” Motivation Behind Conor McGregor Call Out

In a post-fight interview with TheMacLife, Hooker explained why he chose to mention McGregor’s name inside the Octagon after getting his hand raised.

Of course, McGregor is still the biggest fight out there across the entire sport, let alone the lightweight division, which means he often gets called out and has done for nearly a decade.

Hooker’s call to namedrop “The Notorious” wasn’t necessarily financially motivated, though that is a huge incentive for trying to get this fight.

He said that this decision was made more because he thinks it would be hilarious to get this fight instead of McGregor being welcomed back to the UFC by Michael Chandler, which fans have waited so long to see at this point.

Hooker was defeated by Chandler back when “Iron” Mike made his UFC debut in 2021 so taking the biggest fight of his career away from him would be sweet revenge.

“I didn’t necessarily call him out, I just said like, because I am absolute troll, so it’s like the biggest troll move you could do of all time is to snake that fight off Chandler. Like he waits all that time and then Conor just fights me anyway, like that would be gold. I would feel like the biggest snake troll of all time.”

Continue Reading Dan Hooker Admits McGregor Callout Intended To ‘Snake’ Michael Chandler: ‘He Waits All That Time & Conor Fights Me Anyway…’ at MMA News.