Israel Adesanya's upcoming fight with Dricus du Plessis is a must-win for him: Exploring the gravity of 'The Last Stylebender's' current situation
The Israel Adesanya vs. Dricus du Plessis middleweight title fight has been set as the headliner for UFC 305. The bout is of significant importance to both. It marks Adesanya's first opportunity to become a three-time middleweight champion, the first in UFC history.
Meanwhile, du Plessis will be on title defense duty for the first time since capturing the 185-pound strap at UFC 297. It was famously said, by all-time great welterweight Matt Hughes, that a champion must solidify their status by defending the title. Until they do, they should not be regarded as a 'true' champion.
However, there's an underlying element to the pair's scheduled UFC 305 title fight. Both men have a heated and deeply personal rivalry due to past comments made by du Plessis, with which Adesanya took issue. All of these aspects, and others, render the UFC 305 headliner a must-win for 'The Last Stylebender.'
The championship implications for Israel Adesanya
Israel Adesanya is a two-time UFC middleweight champion. His first reign in the weight class led to five title defenses, before a TKO loss to Alex Pereira led to his brief deposition. However, 'The Last Stylebender' reclaimed the title with a spectacular knockout of 'Poatan' in an immediate rematch.
Unfortunately, he failed to defend the belt, losing it to Sean Strickland in lopsided fashion. His upcoming bout with Dricus du Plessis, which he did not earn by winning a fight after his loss to Strickland, has serious implications for the former kickboxer's championship aspirations.
A loss to his South African rival would put him on a two-fight losing streak. He would be 1-3 in his last four fights, all of which would be title fights, and three of which would feature him as the loser. This would knock him completely out of title contention for some time.
Much like Robert Whittaker, a former 185-pound champion himself, he would have to rebuild himself by authoring another win streak, especially as he would have lost to two fighters dominating the title conversation in the division. Given Adesanya's statement about not needing the title, he is unlikely to fight for much longer.
Furthermore, he is 35 years old and will likely opt for other opportunities instead of winning three or however many fights in a row to earn an unprecedented fourth undisputed title shot at middleweight. Instead, he might look to light heavyweight, where he is winless and will need to prove himself again to earn a title shot.
He can't afford to lose another championship fight at this stage in his career.
This fight is personal for Israel Adesanya
No fighter enjoys losing. More than that, though, no fighter likes losing to someone for whom they have a personal dislike. This was the case with Jorge Masvidal, who had such an intense hatred for Colby Covington that he couldn't stomach a loss to him, prompting him to allegedly assault him after their bout.
Israel Adesanya's issues with Dricus du Plessis run deep, as the South African made past comments about 'The Last Stylebender' being a representative of African MMA. At the time, du Plessis was just a contender, but he was still asked about the prospect of becoming the next African champion in the UFC.
This led to an infamous moment, when du Plessis openly questioned the logic of not just 'The Last Stylebender' but also Francis Ngannou and Kamaru Usman representing African MMA. He asked whether the UFC middleweight, welterweight, and heavyweight actually went to Africa?
Moreover, he asserted his belief that the aforementioned belts went to New Zealand, the United States, and France. He then highlighted himself as the only fighter who will win a UFC belt while still living in Africa and training on African soil at an African gym.
Now, in 2024, he has fulfilled that promise. However, to Adesanya, du Plessis' statement meant something else. He took it to mean that du Plessis was claiming to be more African than he was. Given du Plessis' status as an Afrikaner, ethnic South Africans of predominantly Dutch descent, Adesanya took issue.
It led to a controversial confrontation between the pair at UFC 290 in du Plessis' post-fight interview, during which Adesanya launched an expletive, slur-filled tirade that divided the MMA world. He has vowed to give du Plessis a rude awakening come fight night, and things have quickly become deeply personal.
With so much on the line in terms of pride and feuds, this is not a fight that Adesanya can afford to lose. He has said much already, and to lose a fight with this heated a rivalry following a humiliating loss to Sean Strickland, with whom he also had a personal feud, would be catastrophic to his image.
Adesanya must win, and if he doesn't, then the world will be looking at a very different UFC middleweight division after Aug. 18.