It was a night for firsts in Perth on August 18, 2024, as South African mixed martial artist and new UFC Middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis defended his title for the first time against Nigerian-New Zealander mixed martial artist and two-time champion Isreal Adesanya.
Adesanya lost his belt in a fight against American MMA fighter Sean Strickland last September, and du Plessis defeated Strickland to claim the title in January 2024. Title challenge/defence is in order and Adesanya was the first in line to challenge the South African for the belt.
du Plessis entered the contest with only two losses in 24 fights, one by submission and the other by technical knockout, and a streak of wins stretching back to October 2018 after a failed title defence against Roberto Soldic. Adesanya, on the other hand, was from his title loss last year, and was looking to recover the Middleweight Championship again this time.
It was not to be, however, as du Plessis forced the Nigerian-New Zealander into his first career submission. Adesanya lost through a face crank submission at UFC 305 in the fourth round, and du Plessis added weight to his claim as king of middleweights.
It was a charged affair between the two fighters, and Adesanya recorded consecutive losses for the first time in his career. Questions are rising around Israel Adesanya’s future, as the Nigerian-New Zealander was faced with some harsh reality on Sunday.
Rematch might be on the cards, but du Plessis has defended his crown rather solidly, the first South African to win a UFC Championship.
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Photo credits: DAZN
