Sean Strickland awaits the winner
In just a few hours, Adesanya challenges Dricus du Plessis for the UFC Middleweight Championship in Perth
Du Plessis, who carries the longest active winning streak in the middleweight division at seven, looks to deliver the most significant victory of his career at UFC 305 by defeating Adesanya. This would be even bigger than his win against Sean Strickland, which is when du Plessis won the title. The face of the division for the past five years, Adesanya has won 13 of his 15 fights in the division, dominated as champ, and he is chasing Anderson Silva as the greatest middleweight fighter of all-time. A win here, which would start Adesanya’s third reign as champ, would certainly help bolster his argument.
Adesanya’s last fight took place in September when he was perpetually a step behind Strickland and lost by unanimous decision. At 35, it is worth asking whether Adesanya has lost a step. A counter-argument is that one fight prior, he knocked out Alex Pereira in April of 2023. So his showing at UFC 305 will be telling.
For both fights, there is more at stake than the championship. This is a legacy bout, one that will be forever attached to the winner–and the loser.Justin Barrasso has been writing for Sports Illustrated since 2014. While his primary focus is pro wrestling and MMA, he has also covered MLB, NBA, and the NFL. He can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @JustinBarrasso.
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