He looked gassed, he looked hurt, but Dricus du Plessis just looks like a champion now.
The UFC middleweight champion solidified his belt with a dramatic fourth-round submission win over former champ Israel Adesanya at UFC 305 on Saturday. In a fight that seemed to be slipping away, du Plessis reversed his fortunes and secured his first title defense in front of a hostile crowd in Perth, Australia.
The bout began with a somewhat even first two rounds, as both fighters exchanged blows, with neither gaining a decisive edge. However, Adesanya, known for his precise striking, found his rhythm in the third round. He targeted du Plessis with surgical body shots, visibly slowing the South African and swinging the momentum in his favor. As the fight entered the fourth round, Adesanya appeared to be cruising toward a victory, with the live odds heavily favoring him.
But the tide turned in an instant. Despite struggling with takedown attempts and absorbing significant punishment, du Plessis persevered. A well-placed shot in the fourth round wobbled Adesanya just enough for du Plessis to capitalize. He quickly put Adesanya back on the ground, and after a tense struggle, secured a rear-naked choke to force the tap.
“I just made a stupid, dumb mistake on the ground,” Adesanya admitted in the post-fight interview, reflecting on the moment that cost him the match.
For du Plessis, the victory marked another milestone in his meteoric rise through the UFC ranks. With this win, he remains undefeated in the promotion and has now bested three of the past four middleweight champions in Adesanya, Sean Strickland, and Robert Whittaker. The South African has firmly established himself as a force to be reckoned with in the middleweight division.
As for Adesanya, the loss is a bitter pill to swallow. A win would have made him only the second fighter in UFC history, after Randy Couture, to claim three separate reigns with a UFC title. His striking was sharp, and he was winning enough exchanges that a decision victory or a potential finish seemed inevitable. Instead, Adesanya now finds himself at a crossroads, with a path back to the title uncertain.
There was some post-fight speculation about Adesanya’s future, with whispers of potential retirement. However, the former champ quickly dismissed those rumours, declaring, “I’m not f***ing leaving.”
Du Plessis’ next move remains unclear, but the possibilities are tantalizing. A rematch with one of the former champions he’s defeated could be on the horizon, or perhaps a showdown with another titleholder looms. If current light heavyweight (and former middleweight) champ Alex Pereira is serious about returning to the division, that could set the stage for an explosive clash.
For now, du Plessis stands atop the middleweight division, his status as champion undisputed and his legacy continuing to grow with every fight.
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