Dricus Du Plessis vs Israel Adesanya Prediction & Betting Tips - UFC n°305

Prediction published on 14/08/2024, 05:57  by Devesh Jaganath | Modified on 14/08/2024 at 06:20 in MMA Predictions

The time has finally come - UFC 305 is here and headlining this event will be the eagerly awaited showdown between African warriors Dricus Du Plessis and Israel Adesanya for the UFC Middleweight title. Let’s get into the match prediction. 

Fair to say there is a lot of bad blood between these two and this promises to be true battle in Perth Australia. The reigning champion Dricus Du Plessis is 21-2-0 and took hold of the belt by beating Sean Strickland in a titanic bout earlier this year.

The big-bodied South African is by far a ‘pretty’ fighter and relies on forward-pressing heavy-handed striking and is capable of knocking out opponents with powerful kicks. He is neither nimble nor quick at evading strikes but his awkward style is perhaps his greatest asset and after having his deviated septum fixed, his cardio seems to have improved immensely.

DDP is five years younger than Izzy but he is significantly shorter at 1.85m and has a shorter reach at 193cm. This suggests he will try to walk down Adesanya and we could see the South African look to take this to the mat. 

Israel Adesanya, on the other hand, has seen and done it all before, and will likely have the majority of the crowd on his side considering his dual nationality in New Zealand. The big question is - does Izzy still have the same tenacity and hunger having conquered the division?

We also have to factor in that he is now 35 years old and coming off a long layoff. In fact, his current time away is his longest layoff since joining the UFC in 2018.

However, there is no question that The Last Stylebender is much quicker than DDP in terms of striking, defence and overall athleticism and these are things he could leverage as he tries to tire out the defending champion.