By Dricus du Plessis successfully defended his UFC middleweight title with a fourth-round submission victory over Israel Adesanya at UFC 305 in Perth, Australia. The highly anticipated bout saw the South African champion withstand a barrage of body shots from Adesanya before securing the win via rear-naked choke.
Du Plessis, who improved his record to 22-2, faced significant pressure in the middle rounds as Adesanya, the former middleweight champion, launched a series of strikes that appeared to wear down the 30-year-old. However, du Plessis managed to turn the tide in the fourth round with a powerful left hook followed by three rights, which floored Adesanya. Seizing the moment, du Plessis swiftly applied the chokehold that forced Adesanya to tap out.
“This man is the king of getting back up,” du Plessis said of Adesanya, who was attempting to reclaim the middleweight title for a third time. “I came here to die for this belt and to take a life. I’m still champion, baby.”
The victory marked du Plessis’ third successful title defense in the competitive middleweight division and his second of the year, following his split decision win over Sean Strickland at UFC 297 in January.
For Adesanya, the 35-year-old was making his first appearance since losing the middleweight title to Strickland by unanimous decision in September 2023. Despite the setback, Adesanya remained resolute about his future in the sport. “This is the best I’ve ever felt. I’m 35, I’m doing the right things. I’m not leaving,” he stated.
Earlier in the evening, hometown favorite Steve Erceg suffered a first-round technical knockout at the hands of New Zealand’s Kai Kara-France in their flyweight bout, marking Erceg’s second consecutive defeat following his unanimous decision loss to champion Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 301 in May.
