UFC 305: Dricus du Plessis downs Adesanya to retain world middleweight belt

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South Africa’s Dricus du Plessis submitted Nigerian-New Zealander Israel Adesanya to tap in the fourth round as he successfully defended his middleweight championship for the first time.

The fight began as an evenly matched contest, with both fighters trading sharp shots and combos, keeping the action tight. But everything changed in an instant when Du Plessis suddenly shifted momentum.

He rocked Adesanya with a brutal left hook to the head, followed by a relentless flurry of three powerful rights.

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Sensing his moment, Du Plessis took Adesanya to the ground and swiftly locked in a rear-naked choke. With no escape, Adesanya tapped out, handing Du Plessis a submission victory at 3:38 of the fourth round.

The opening round had been a measured chess match, with both men landing some solid exchanges. Despite a small cut opening on Du Plessis’ forehead, neither appeared to be in serious trouble — until the tide turned in Du Plessis’ favour.

The action ramped up in the second round when Du Plessis went for a takedown, finally bringing the fight to the ground.

Dominating from the top, he attempted to lock in several chokeholds. However, Adesanya’s resilience showed as he slipped out of danger and scrambled back to his feet. Despite Du Plessis’ relentless pressure, Adesanya found himself back on the mat after two more successful takedowns.

In the third round, Adesanya appeared to regain control. He hammered Du Plessis with a barrage of body shots and delivered a slick, well-timed elbow.

Yet Du Plessis was far from done, answering back with explosive punching combinations of his own, refusing to let Adesanya dictate the pace.

The beginning of the fourth round was a quite similar affair – Adesanya delivering good punches. But Du Plessis was equal to the task yet again, before the champion recorded a sudden victory against his opponent.

Both fighters embraced after the fight. They did same following their interviews. Frankly, they seemed to put behind them the bad blood that had built beforehand.

Du Plessis hasn’t lost any of his fights in the last six years and is in a 10-fight winning streak.

Tags: Israel Adesanya, Dricus du Plessis, #UFC, #UFC305, middleweight belt, middleweight championship, #nrtcnewsnigeria, #nrtcsports, #nrtcnews, #NewsRoundTheClock.