Dricus Du Plessis of South Africa has successfully defended his middleweight title against Israel Adesanya of Nigeria, at UFC 305, submitting the former champion via rear-naked choke in Round 4.
The highly anticipated bout was a back-and-forth affair, with both fighters giving it their all.
Adesanya seemed to be gaining momentum in Round 3, but Du Plessis turned the tide in his favor with a big shot in Round 4, dropping Adesanya and securing the fight-ending submission.
The victory marked Du Plessis’ first successful title defense since capturing the middleweight title at UFC 297 in January.
The South African’s impressive performance earned him widespread praise from the MMA community, with many pros reacting to the fight on social media.
*Pros react to Du Plessis vs. Adesanya:
– Henry Cejudo: “Time to decide the real King of Africa #UFC305”
– Terrance McKinney: “I’m with Izzy lfg”
– Alan Jouban: “Both men look very much locked in! #UFC305”
– Belal Muhammad: “Izzy needs to side step more and not just lean back”
– Platinum Mike Perry: “Congrats to @dricusduplessis, two great warriors fought and he got the job done. Dricus is the man”
– Chris Weidman: “Props to both guys for putting on a great back and forth fight ! Congrats to the champ du plessis for digging deep and getting the finish. Making history”
*What’s Next for Du Plessis?
According to UFC CEO Dana White, Du Plessis will face Sean Strickland in his next Octagon appearance.
The highly anticipated bout is expected to be a thrilling matchup between two of the middleweight division’s top contenders.
*Adesanya vows not to quit
The former champ, at the post-match press conference, promised that he will be back to the octagon but admitted that he will have to take some time out to reflect on his future.
He further congratulated Dricus whom he said is an inspiration to African fighters.
“I know Dricus is a fan of mine and now I’m a fan of his. He is an African champion and he will pave the way for more african fighters”.