South Africa’s Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis hardly had time to celebrate his emphatic win over former champion Israel Adesanya before becoming a marked man, once again.
South Africa’s Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis hardly had time to celebrate his emphatic win over former champion Israel Adesanya before becoming a marked man, once again.
Headlining the UFC 305 card, Du Plessis successfully defended his 185-pound belt with a fourth-round rear-naked choke against two-time champion and middleweight great Adesanya, who was born in Nigeria but currently lives in New Zealand, at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia, on Sunday morning.
As soon as UFC personality and octagon announcer Bruce Buffer called out Du Plessis’ name in the post-fight ceremony, current UFC light-heavyweight champion and former middleweight champion Alex Pereira posted a picture of himself in front of his TV with Du Plessis on screen with a caption stating: “I am going down to 84kg again. Coming down to 185 one more time.”
ALEX PEREIRA VS DDP OMG pic.twitter.com/UHmQ5yk3D8
See AlsoBryce Young sharp as Panthers offense shines in joint practice against the JetsIs Martin Bakole The New Boogeyman At Heavyweight?Scaring or scarring: Does the Boogeyman really work for disciplining a child? | Life— ACD MMA (@acdmma_) August 18, 2024
During his post-fight media interview, Du Plessis got wind of Pereira’s post.
“I honestly don’t think Pereira should drop down to 185 pounds. If he wants to, perfect, but then we are going to hear excuses again,” Du Plessis advised.
“We saw Izzy (Adesanya) stiff that man in their last fight. I felt Izzy’s power. He has great timing, he is fast and long, with great combinations, but I felt the power. Let me tell you, if Izzy stiffens you like that, you do not want to be in there with me, especially when you are going to come in there and say I cut too much weight, because that is going to happen.”
Dricus Du Plessis responds to Alex Pereira's callout after #UFC305 and explains why he'd prefer not to do the fight at middleweight.
"You don't have to cut the weight so you have some sort of excuse. … I'll come up to 205 and we'll sort it out there." pic.twitter.com/ee8oYv9of4
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) August 18, 2024
After stopping Adesanya in their first mixed martial arts fight at UFC 281, Pereira was on the receiving end at UFC 287 where the Nigerian knocked out the Brazilian in the second round.
Shortly after that bout, Pereira moved up to 205 pounds, stating it was the better option for his health. The fighter known as the boogeyman of MMA eventually went on to win the light-heavyweight title before defending it twice.
“Stay where you are, fight your fight with the number eight-ranked guy,” said Du Plessis, after it was announced that Pereira will defend his title against Khalil Roundtree of the US.
“Enjoy it, let me handle my business first. By the looks of it, Sean Strickland is the next guy in line. Then after that, that is the fight I want. You don’t have to cut weight, I will come up to 205 and we’ll sort it out there,” concluded Du Plessis.
At the RAC Arena on Sunday morning, Du Plessis delivered a complete display of mixed martial arts, showcasing his grappling, wrestling and striking before stopping Adesanya. After a rather conservative first round, the pace picked up drastically in the second round, which belonged to Du Plessis who used his wrestling skills well.
Adesanya led with a jab before Du Plessis slipped and level-changed with a big take-down. The Nigerian showed great wrestling defence with a quick wizar before Du Plessis transitioned to Adesanya’s back with a failed rear-naked choke attempt.
Du Plessis aimed to unsettle Adesanya and disrupt his striking rhythm by implementing a wrestling game, shooting five times. Round three saw the Stylebender find his timing and showcase that trademark Adesanya movement, feints, and sharpshooting ability, unleashing beautiful strikes.
Du Plessis, known for his awkward nature and volume, kept his hands up and continued pushing forward, but Adesanya’s reads were impeccable, landing body, head, and leg shots. Du Plessis managed to land a heavy classic right and overhand left, however, Adesanya shared the spoils of the round with way more significant strikes.
Heading into the championship rounds, Adesanya looked the fresher of the two athletes. However, Du Plessis has deceived many opponents in the past.
Adesanya started putting together some beautiful combos, looking light on his feet, but a big left hand from Du Plessis followed up with a double jab and right hook eventually became Adesanya’s kryptonite as he went down before Du Plessis took his back and locked in a tight rear-naked choke.
