Dricus du Plessis talks identifying Israel Adesanya’s “kryptonite” days ahead of bitter title clash at UFC 305
UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis has shared a possible weakness he sees in his upcoming opponent Israel Adesanya.
Ahead of UFC 305, 'Stillknocks' sat down for an interview with New York Post Sports. At one point during the conversation, du Plessis weighed in on Adesanya's fight against Sean Strickland.
'Stillknockls shared that, at first, he believed Adesanya had an off night against the American. But the middleweight champion changed his mind after fighting Strickland himself.
The South African spoke about how facing a style similar to 'Tarzan's' could pose problems for the Nigerian-New Zealander:
"I honestly thought that nine times out of 10... [Strickland beating Adesanya] that can't happen again. Izzy will beat him. That was obviously actually before I fought Strickland and then after fighting Strickland, my whole opinion around this changed... I started thinking that Adesanya wasn't off that night. It was just Strickland who completely shut down [Adesanya's] game, and he enforced his game, and that style that Strickland fights was the kyptonite for a guy like Adesanya."
Check out Dricus du Plessis' comments below (6:25):
Adesanya fought Strickland for the middleweight belt at UFC 293 in September 2023. The fight was a one-sided affair as Strickland outclassed 'The Last Stylebender' for the majority of the five-round fight.
In the end, 'Tarzan' took home the victory via unanimous decision. All three judges scored the bout 49-46 in favor of Strickland.
How did Dricus du Plessis do against Sean Strickland?
Dricus du Plessis and Sean Strickland fought for the middleweight championship at UFC 297. The fight was held earlier this year in January at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Canada.
The fight, which headlined the card, was a back-and-forth affair where both fighters had moments of success. The razor-close contest lasted all five rounds and went to the scorecards.
'Stillknocks' edged out a victory via split decision and was declared the new 185-pound champion. The three judges scored the bout 47-48, 48-47 and 48-47 in favor of the South African.