August 18, (THEWILL) – South African fighter, Dricus Du Plessis, successfully defended his UFC middleweight championship against former titleholder, Israel Adesanya, at UFC 305 in Perth, Australia.
The bout was competitive through three rounds, with Adesanya looking to have the upper hand in striking exchanges. However, Du Plessis turned the tide in the fourth round, landing a flurry of strikes before taking Adesanya down. The champion then locked in a rear-naked choke, forcing Adesanya to submit at 3:38 of the round.
In his post-fight interview, Du Plessis acknowledged the challenge of facing an elite striker like Adesanya. He credited his takedown as the key to victory, noting the difficulty of keeping Adesanya grounded. Adesanya admitted to making a tactical error on the ground that allowed Du Plessis to secure the winning submission.
The co-main event saw Kai Kara-France score a first-round TKO victory over Steve Erceg in a flyweight contest. Other main card results included a split decision win for Dan Hooker over Mateusz Gamrot at lightweight and a controversial split decision victory for Jairzinho Rozenstruik against Tai Tuivasa in heavyweight action.
The UFC will return next weekend with a Fight Night event headlined by middleweights Jared Cannonier and Caio Borralho on August 24.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
