Nearly a year on from Dricus Du Plessis and Israel Adesanya’s fight for the UFC Middleweight title, it can be hard to remember how competitive the fight was right up until Du Plessis got the finish in round four, with one of the judges having Adesanya up going into the fourth round. Since then, Du Plessis has defended his belt against Sean Strickland, whom he beat for the title back in January 2024, and is set to defend his title again against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319 on August 16th.
Du Plessis has complimentary his former rival, labelling Adesanya as his ‘best’ opponent. Speaking to Betway South Africa, Du Plessis said, “I have to say probably Adesanya was the best guy I faced in his specific area, probably the fight I was most nervous for, just in terms of how good he is. He can catch you with anything at any time. All the time I spent looking up to him and studying him because he was the benchmark… I think he’s the best guy I’ve faced, and, if you watch that fight, it was one hell of a fight. It was a tough night at the office for both of us.
Since then, Adesanya has struggled to recapture the form that made him so feared as a champion, with a knockout loss against Nassourdine Imavov back in February being his only fight since. However, it would be naive to overlook the Nigerian. He has displayed some of the best striking the UFC has ever seen, and it would hardly be surprising if Adesanya could work his way back to his former glory.
For Du Plessis, he is in his prime and has the world at his feet, but a bout against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319 may be the most unpredictable fight he has been in yet. The fight appears destined to be one of the all-time great UFC bouts, with both fighters likely to come forward and try to impose their style.
