Dricus Du Plessis put on a show at UFC 305 as he defeated Israel Adesanya via submission. Given the animosity between the fighters, the title bout was much more than a clash for the championship. After that performance, DDP impressed many of his peers, including UFC interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall.
Many viewers were impressed by DDP’s ability to compete against a striker like Adesanya across four rounds. In the fourth round, Plessis finally grabbed Izzy’s back and locked a rear naked choke. This prompted Izzy to tap, resulting in his first submission loss in his professional career. Tom Aspinall watched the entire fight and was quite impressed with DDP’s combat IQ and his team’s game plan.
Me personaly, I think he is one of the smartest fighters in the UFC and his team must be smart people. The guy just finds ways to win….We gotta give him credit for his fight IQ.
Tom Aspinall via his YouTube channel
Aspinall mentioned how Dricus Du Plessis systematically broke down Adesanya’s fighting style. According to Aspinall, ‘StillKnocks’ has increased power, but his strategy makes him a role model in the UFC. It was DDP’s first-ever title defense in which he succeeded with flying colors.
👨🏫🧠Tom Aspinall called Dricus Du Plessis one of the smartest UFC fighters.
“Me personaly, I think he [Dricus Du Plessis] is one of the smartest fighters in the UFC and his team must be smart people. The guy just finds ways to win. We gotta give him credit for his fight IQ.”
— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) August 18, 2024
After the fight, the champion squashed his beef with Adesanya as both were respectful towards each other. DDP announced he’s already looking for his next fight and believes top middleweight Robert Whittaker deserves the shot. It would be interesting if anyone could break Dricus Du Plessis’s unorthodox fighting style anytime soon.
Reigning UFC champion credits Dricus Du Plessis ‘weird’ fighting style for beating Israel Adesanya
Before the fourth-round submission, the fight between Israel Adesanya and Dricus Du Plessis looked quite competitive. On the feet, both fighters were evenly matched, but Du Plessis did well by mixing them up with multiple takedown attempts. Although, as expected, it wasn’t easy to hold Adesanya on the ground, DDP never gave up or reduced the pressure.
Sean O’Malley explains Dricus Du Plessis’s weird fighting style (via ImagoX)Many fight fans, as well as experts, have frequently talked about Dricus Du Plessis’s awkward fighting style. Irrespective of how bad he has looked in his fights, the South African always finds a way to win. Sean O’Malley watched the fight, recorded his live reaction, and was stunned by DDP’s weird fighting style.
DDP has some funny a** blitzes. It just looks so sloppy and weird but it connects somehow and they are heavy fu**** punches. Izzy did look good…. close fight, DDP showed why he’s the champ.
Sean O’Malley via his YouTube channel
While Dricus Du Plessis’s title win at UFC 297 was controversial, he managed to get a clear finish this time. This has boosted his confidence as he talked about fighting Alex Pereira in the light heavyweight division. It would be interesting to see how long the champion can hold on to his belt.
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