Perth, Australia — South Africa’s Dr. Drickus du Plessis took four rounds of consecutive strikes before stopping Israel Adesanya to defend his middleweight title at UFC 305 on Sunday.
After landing a few tackles early on, Du Plessis (22-2) had to deal with a barrage of punches from Adesanya in the middle rounds, which seemed to take its toll on the 30-year-old South African as the fight progressed.
But a left hook followed by three right hands helped take Adesanya down, giving du Plessis the opening he needed, and he quickly secured a chokehold, forcing the Nigerian-born New Zealander to tap out at 3:38 of the fourth round.
“This guy is the king who is rising again,” Du Plessis said of Adesanya, who is trying to become middleweight champion for a third time. “I’m still alive. This is a bonus.
“I came here to die and give my life for this belt. I’m still the champion, baby.”
Tensions were high ahead of Sunday’s fight at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia, when Adesanya said he would take the belt to Africa if he won, and Du Plessis asked if he would bring his men.
Before the fight, there was a lot of animosity between the two fighters, with neither of them touching the other’s gloves, but immediately after the match, the two fighters seemed to make up.
“I’m really sorry if it seemed like I ignored the fact that he’s African,” Du Plessis said. “That wasn’t my intention. Africa would have won anyway, but tonight South Africa won.”
It’s the third time the South African has defeated a challenger in the competitive middleweight division, and the second this year after a second-round decision win over Sean Strickland at UFC 297 in January.
Du Plessis’ next opponent is a title defense against Strickland, at a date yet to be set.
The 35-year-old Adesanya (24-4) is making his first fight since an 11-month hiatus following a unanimous decision loss to Strickland in Sydney last September, but he insists Sunday’s latest setback will not spell the end for his career.
“This is the best feeling I’ve ever felt. I’m 35 years old, I’m doing the right thing, and I’m… not leaving,” he said.
Previously, hometown favorite Steve Erzeg lost a flyweight fight to New Zealand’s Kai Kara-France via first-round technical knockout. It was Erzeg’s first fight since a unanimous points outing to champion Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 301 in Brazil in May.
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