close
close

UFC 305: Dricus du Plessis defends middleweight title with wild submission from Israel Adesanya in the 4th round

0

He looked exhausted, he looked injured, but Dricus du Plessis just looks like a champion now.

The UFC middleweight champion cemented his belt with a fourth-round submission win over former champion Israel Adesanya on Saturday at UFC 305, turning a fight that wasn't going in his favor to make his first title defense.

After a fairly even first two rounds, Adesanya came into his own in the third round with targeted body shots and was the clear favorite in the live odds. The taller du Plessis had fended off his takedowns and was clearly enjoying himself until a punch in the fourth round unbalanced Adesanya so much that the South African brought him back to the ground.

“I just made a stupid, dumb mistake on the ground,” Adesanya said after the fight.

Eventually, du Plessis got his arm in place and forced Adesanya to submit with a rear naked choke, continuing his undefeated run in the UFC despite the hostile crowd in Perth, Australia.

It was a brutal loss for Adesanya, who was looking to become the second fighter after Randy Couture to win the UFC belt three times. His striking power was at his classic form and he won so many fights that the most likely outcomes were a point victory or the body shots that led to a win.

Instead, he now has no chance of another title shot. After the fight, there was some speculation in the Octagon about a possible retirement, but Adesanya put an end to it with, “I'm not fucking leaving.”

As for Du Plessis, he has now beaten three of the last four middleweight champions in a row in Adesanya, Sean Strickland and Robert Whittaker. A rematch with one of them could be the next step, or he could face the fourth remaining champion.

Assuming current light heavyweight (and former middleweight) champion Alex Pereira is serious.

Here's how it all went live at UFC 305, via Yahoo Sports:

The live broadcast has ended110 updates

  • Adesanya: “I’m not fucking leaving!”

    Despite taking off his gloves and calling it quits, Adesanya tells Daniel Cormier in his post-fight interview that he is not going anywhere.

  • RESULT: Dricus du Plessis defeats Israel Adesanya by submission (rear naked) at 3:38 of R4

  • Izzy now a -225 favorite

  • Round 3 ends

  • Round 2 ends

    DDP manages to take the former champion to the ground several times. The champion tries with all his might to show off his wrestling skills and not be on his feet.

  • Round 1 ends

    The champion establishes his kicking game early, but Izzy remains more active and lands more hits. DDP's rushing attack made Izzy feel his power.