Dricus du Plessis successfully defended his UFC middleweight championship for the first time by submitting his opponent and rival, Israel Adesanya, in the fourth round.
The South African fighter, Du Plessis, absorbed numerous body shots throughout the four rounds. He ultimately secured the win by applying a rear-naked choke submission, forcing Adesanya to tap out and keeping his middleweight belt at UFC 305 in Perth on Sunday.
After achieving early takedowns, Du Plessis (with a record of 22-2) endured a barrage of strikes from Adesanya in the middle rounds. These appeared to be impacting the 30-year-old South African as the bout continued.
However, a left hook followed by three right hands in the fourth round sent Adesanya to the canvas. This created the opportunity Du Plessis needed, and he quickly secured the choke hold, compelling the Nigerian-born New Zealander to tap out.
“This man is the king of getting back up,” Du Plessis commented on Adesanya, who was attempting to claim the middleweight title for a third time. He added, “I`m still alive, that`s a bonus.”
“I came here to die for this belt and to take a life. I`m still champion, baby,” Du Plessis stated after his victory.
The victory on Sunday at a packed RAC Arena in Perth, Australia, marked the third successful defense of the competitive middleweight division title for the South African. It was also his second title win this year, following a split decision victory against Sean Strickland in January at UFC 297.
The 35-year-old Adesanya (with a record of 24-4) competed for the first time since losing the middleweight title via unanimous decision to Strickland in Sydney in September of the previous year. Despite Sunday`s defeat, he stated that this setback would not end his career.
“This is the best I`ve ever felt. I`m 35, I`m doing the right things. I`m not leaving,” he said, indicating his intention to continue fighting.
In an earlier fight on the card, local fighter Steve Erceg was defeated by a first-round technical knockout in his flyweight match against New Zealand`s Kai Kara-France.
This was Erceg`s first bout since his unanimous decision loss to champion Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 301 in Brazil in May.
