Dricus Du Plessis retained his UFC Middleweight title and extended his promotional unbeaten record to 8, with a fourth round submission against Israel Adesayna at UFC 305.
The two met in the main event at the RAC Arena, Perth, with Du Plessis looking to make his first title defence against a man who many believe is one of the best to ever do it at 185lbs.
It was thought, prior to the contest, that the bout would be won on fine margins and that was certainly the case.
It was an extremely tentative opening to the first round for both men, with numerous feints being thrown in order to try and get a reaction from or read on their opponent. Du Plessis landed several leg kicks early on but Adesanya managed to keep him at bay with constant movement. It was largely DDP on the front foot but Adesanya's movement and slick shot selection was enough for him to clinch the round on two of the three judges scorecards.
The second round was a huge one for the champion, landed a huge double leg takedown and getting the bout to the mat. From there, he managed to take Adesanya's back but 'The Last Stylebender' somehow, managed to escape from Du Plessis choke attempt but just minutes later and DDP was back on the hunt for a takedown. Adesanya grabbed the fence several times in order to try and get back to his feet, all of which went unnoticed and unpunished. Undeterred, the champ remained in a dominant position for the remainder of the round to comfortably even things up on the score cards.
The third round saw 'The Last Stylebender' looked as though he was about to take control of the bout. The constant feints from Adesanya meant Du Plessis couldn't commit to rushing in, in fear of being tagged. The challenger used this to pop off a lot of clean jabs and work to the body. The jab continued to be money in the bank for Adesanya but the grit and constant forward pressure that have now become somewhat synonymous with a DDP performance saw the South African manage to turn the end of the third round into a slugfest. However, the work Adesanya had established throughout the majority of the third stanza saw him, once again, take the round on two of three judges score cards.
It had become evident as the bout unfolded that Du Plessis saw his route to victory being on the ground, but the jab of Adesanya, and his impressive sprawls, in the opening moments of round four prevented DDP from getting the bout where he wanted it. Ditching the takedown attempts, the champion opted to trade with Adesanya and caught the challenger with a two big left hands, before a right dropped 'The Last Stylebender'. Adesanya got to his feet momentarily, before he was dropped once more with another right hand. DDP pounced and immediately took the back, locked in the choke and got the tap.
With that, Du Plessis not only retained his belt, but added another monumental name to his ever more impressive resume.
There had been some distasteful back and forth between the two pre-fight, but when all was said and done, there was clearly a mutual respect there.
You can watch Du Plessis in cage interview, here:
