While it has not been made official, all signs point toward Dricus du Plessis defending his middleweight title against Israel Adesanya at UFC 305, which is set to take place in Perth, Australia this August. Robert Whittaker, who has shared the octagon with both fighters, revealed what he believes will be the key to victory for both fighters.
Speaking on his podcast, MMArcade, ‘The Reaper’ stated:
“Adesanya fighting for a title again hurts me, but I understand. Dricus asked for it. He’s the champ, gets what he wants. Adesanya is a draw. It seems like the fight that was going to happen, in my opinion. It’s an interesting fight. I can see Adesanya just piecing him up for five rounds. But in saying that, Dricus is tough as nails, and he’s awkward.”
Whittaker continued:
“I can also see Dricus just getting in there and making it awkward, and, I don’t know, taking him out of his rhythm because we saw when Adesanya fought Strickland. Strickland pushing that pace and moving into his space changed the rhythm of the fight. Adesanya didn’t adapt to that very well. I think if Dricus does the same, he might have the same sort of success.”
Whittaker previously faced Adesanya for the middleweight title at UFC 243 and suffered a second-round knockout loss. The pair rematched at UFC 271 with ‘The Last Stylebender’ winning the bout via unanimous decision. The No.3-ranked middleweight also faced Dricus du Plessis at UFC 290 and suffered a second-round TKO loss.
Dricus du Plessis seemingly confirms that Israel Adesanya will receive the next title shot
While it had been widely assumed that Israel Adesanya would receive the first opportunity to challenge Dricus du Plessis for the middleweight title, Sean Strickland had been angling for a rematch. ‘Stillknocks’ seemingly confirmed that ‘The Last Stylebender’ will be his next opponent in an Instagram post on Tuesday, stating:
“Looks like someone wants another beating in Aus.. I’m in, I also wouldn’t want to fight the king of Africa on home soil. Manifestations working good for you AGAIN! #stillknocks #proudlysouthafrican?? #preparetobeamazed #championoftheworld”