Dricus du Plessis of South Africa defended his middleweight title at UFC after submitting Israel Adesanya in the fourth round at Perth Arena. The main event at UFC 305 saw the 29-year-old Dricus du Plessis (22-2) extend his consecutive winning streak to 10 fights, as he finished off the fight with a tight rear-naked choke that Adesanya could not fight off.
It was the first of a doubleheader with 15,000 in the sellout crowd. Du Plessis recovered from a testing start in the battle against Adesanya. A two-time former champion, Adesanya used his superior reach and striking to hold sway in the early rounds. It was then that du Plessis took control with a powerful takedown in the fourth round, eventually forcing Adesanya to submit.
“I came in here to die for this belt,” du Plessis said after the fight. “Here I am, still the champion.”
Despite the loss, Adesanya expressed pride in his performance, acknowledging du Plessis as the better man on the night. The win cements a little more the legacy of du Plessis, who originally claimed the belt in January by beating Sean Strickland.
In other main card action, Kai Kara-France knocked out Australian Steve Erceg in the first round, and Jairzinho Rozenstruik took a split decision win over Tai Tuivasa in the heavyweight bout.
